Welcome to Earth!
by Phoenixica24
Summary: The entire Fellowship falls out of a proxima in a girl's basement-ensuing chaos as they try to blend in, adjust, and get home before anyone notices-under the guidance of several teenage girls! :D Fun story-all rights go to Tolkien and Peter Jackson! Lyric rights go to their respective authors. T for mild language, romantic/awkward themes/moments. Yeah. Fellowships/OCs.
1. Chapter 1: School's Out!

**A/N: Thanks to my beta for sitting down and going over this! Dedicated to my beta Azzie(Inkfire), and my friends for letting me use them as a basis for my OCs. :D Only one has a Fanfiction though-BlackTiger7221. Enjoy!  
**

Welcome to Earth:

Chapter One: School's Out!

"10...9...8...7...6...5.." the pounding started "...4..." People from other classrooms down the hall could be heard "..3.." Four girls glanced at each other. The blonde with blue eyes smirked mischievously, another blonde, with shorter hair and a braid on the side of her head, rolled her eyes, trying (and failing) to stay cool. A dirty blonde jumped on top of her desk, and the teacher just laughed.

A strawberry-blonde with amber eyes that had been staring out the window for the past forty minutes started and looked around. Realizing what was happening, she leapt up and raised her voice, smiling excitedly at her three friends. Her face lit up, and bright afternoon sunlight fell through the window, making her glow with a halo of fire. Several other girls sighed in jealousy, a few guys whistled. The girl smiled at the teacher while making rude hand gestures at the boys, which made the girls snicker.

"….2...1! SUMMER!" the entire student body screamed as the final bell of the year rang.

The strawberry-blonde raced to the front of the room to jump on her friends, all of them squealing excitedly.

"So, Mel, you in or not?" asked the dirty blonde.

"Come _on_, Mel-_ody_!" Carmen whined on her way out the door. The brunette shot Melody a challenging glare, which the other girl returned.

She turned back to her friends, a grin lighting up her face. "I'm _so_ in!"

On their way out, they met the last member of their little group, Bri, walking with AJ out to the latter's car. The dirty blonde went up to AJ and wound her arm through his, smiling sweetly up at him.

"Hey, Jay, want to give us a ride?" she asked, voice smooth as honey.

The dark-haired boy laughed. "Get in line, hun." he teased, gesturing to Bri. "She's already out-cuted me."

Bri swished her long black hair and smirked at the dirty blonde, who narrowed her ice-blue eyes dangerously.

"Knock it off." The blue-eyed blonde sighed. "Shay, Bri, chill. Seriously!"

"Why doesn't your boyfriend give us a ride, Wynter?" Shay asked innocently.

"Because Alec is driving his family to Michigan." Wynter replied coolly.

"How long will he be gone?" Melody asked. She knew her friend would get mopey after a week without Alec.

"Two weeks." Wynter sighed, already looking melancholy. "He got out of school today, too, so I had to say goodbye last night!"

"_That's_ why you weren't texting me." the braided girl muttered crossly.

Wynter flashed her an apologetic look. "Sorry, 'Lyssa." she said, opening her big blue eyes so wide they began to water.

"Nope!" Melody cried, placing herself between them and planting her feet. "No crying! Not even fake-or forced-tears on this glorious day!"

"Dramatic as always, Mel-o-dy!" Shay sang.

"It's in my name! Honestly, if you haven't learned this in the past almost fourteen years, so help me-" Melody retorted, her amber eyes flashing.

She broke off as a certain dark-blonde, blue-eyed boy came her way. The embarrassed girl quickly closed her mouth and tossed her hair.

"Ohaiyo!" she chirped happily.

The boy just smiled. "Hey, I'm really sorry Mel, but I have to work Saturday. Maybe some other time, okay?"

The happy aura around Melody faded noticeably. He friends all gave each other meaningful looks.

"It's okay." Melody chirped, forcing a bright smile, a dim version of the previous one. "We're still going out for your birthday next week, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Of course." He reached out and gave her a hug, kissing her forehead gently before leaving.

"What's he upset about?" Bri asked. "He didn't even say 'good night'!"

"What's up with that?" Wynter queried. "He even says it at seven in the morning!"

"_It's five-o'-clock somewhere..._" Melody sang softly, tears blurring her vision.

"It'll be okay, Mel." Bri said, putting an arm around her friend's shoulder. "More time with me! We'll have our Lord of the Rings marathon-with all the extended versions! Did you bring your dad's copy of the books?"

Melody swung her backpack around her shoulder to her side and rummaged through it before triumphantly pulling out three large books.

"Weighted down with unneccessary luggage-" 'Lyssa began.

"As always." Wynter finished, smiling warmly, yet mischievously, at Melody.

By this time, they had been standing outside for a few minutes, just talking as they texted various people they knew, requesting a ride.

Suddenly, Melody got a horrible sensation in her stomach. She tucked her phone into her purse and looked around. She'd gotten this feeling before. When Shay and AJ moved away originally, when her grandma died, when Wynter's parents filed for divorce, and, more recently, when her dad and stepmom did the same. And every time she'd gotten dumped. It was the feeling that soon, in a few hours, everything was going to change. And nothing would ever be the same again.

Her senses were full of everything that called her name, made her think of home. Periwinkle blue sky, dotted here and there with little cotton ball clouds. Emeraldwaves flowing away towards the parking lot for the junior high across the street that would let out soon. There, the clear sound of the bell, ringing softly on the gentle breeze. The soft warmth of a late spring sun on her tanned, albeit scarred, skin.

Melody lifted her head and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. The smell of a mix of her friends' perfumes and lotions filled her senses as energy thrummed through her slender little body.

"Picture moment!" she cried, opening her eyes and grabbing as many of her friends as she could reach at once.

"What for?" Wynter asked.

Melody smiled, joy radiating out from her, such pure joy that her friends again marveled at her personality. She was both innocent and wise beyond her years.

"To the incoming juniors-to being upperclassmen!" she cried.


	2. Chapter 2: Arrival!

**A/N: Dedicated to my beta Azzie(Inkfire) and my first reviewer: ninjawithasharpswordgirl! YAY! :D  
**

Welcome to Earth:

Chapter Two: Arrival:

"Dad, they're here!" Melody called as she started down the stairs.

"Who?" came the reply from the 'family' room.

"'Bye!" Melody yelled over her shoulder as she slammed the door behind her.

"Did you bring them?" Bri asked excitedly, bouncing in her seat as Melody climbed into the back of her car.

"Of course." Melody replied, smiling, her eyes sparkling with sheer joy.

Half an hour later, the two girls were settled in Bri's basement with hot chocolate and peanut butter toast. Bri put in The _Fellowship of the Ring_ extended version as Melody settled back on the pulled-out couch with Bri's cat in her lap. She idly tugged at the low neckline of her bright blue tank top as she quickly downed her hot chocolate, now merely lukewarm after she'd added milk from the fridge.

The cat jumped out of her lap and fled the room as the opening chords sounded through the surround-sound system. Melody brushed cat fur off her crazy-color-splattered short shorts that provided a sharp contrast against her long, tan legs.

Bri curled up beside her, and they only made it to the council in Rivendell before the house shook with a clap of thunder. Lightning flashed through the door upstairs and filtered down to light up the screen as all the power went out.

"Trip to Middle-Earth cut short." Melody stated calmly.

"By a lame-assed storm." Bri grumbled, annoyed.

Melody laughed. She sat up straight as she came up with an idea.

Bri saw the smirk on her friend's face and smiled. Things were about to get interesting.

Melody got up and grabbed the book version of The_ Fellowship of the Ring_ off their makeshift bed and holding it up to the proxima.

"By the power of the Valar, I plead, play the movie!" she cried, touching the book to the proxima. For a few moments, nothing happened.

"Uh, Mel, hate to break it to you, but the PS3 is playing the movie, not the proxima." Bri said. Melody laughed and moved towards the PS3, holding out the book again, but she stopped when Bri yelped "Oh, my God!"

Light danced across the screen as the proxima began playing.

"Ha!" Melody cried, turning back to Bri and holding out the heavy book in a threatening manner. "That actually WORKED!"

Something large extended from the end of the proxima, blocking out the light, and Melody faltered. "For a second..."

The girls looked up and screamed. They both ducked with their hands over their heads.

Something large and heavy crashed down on top of Melody, knocking the air from her lungs and essentially crushing her. She yelped, and heard Bri shriek.

"Help!" she gasped, then heard her friend's shocked voice.

"Oh...My...God!" Bri screamed hysterically.

It took Melody a moment to realize that the thing that had squashed her was indeed a human being. With very long, blonde hair. A man, lying awkwardly on top of her. She swallowed nervously.

"Ummm..." she began hesitantly. The man lifted his head and met her amber gaze with his shockingly bright blue one. _Is Legolas, elven Prince of Mirkwood, lying...on...top...of...ME?,_ her mind wailed.

The man-sorry, _elf!_-blinked a few times, then his gorgeous blue eyes opened wide, and Melody swore his cheekbones gained a faint pink tinge.

Bri ran over as _Legolas_ tried to stand, holding out her hand to pull him up as Melody's cheeks turned her favorite shade of strawberry red. She couldn't look down or up, so she looked to the side-and saw the shadow of another person coming out of the proxima!

"Bri! Heads-up!" she cried, too late.

Aragorn landed on top of all three of them, knocking Bri down on top of Legolas, and slamming the elf back down on Melody.

Melody winced-her slender frame wasn't built for being at the bottom of dog-piles.

She futilely tried to squirm free, until Legolas hissed something in Sindarin. Melody froze.

"Sorry..." she muttered, gasping. "Can't...breathe-EEK!" she cried as several-smaller, but no less heavy-bodies landed on top of Aragorn, who grunted in surprise. Bri began protesting the weight loudly as Legolas met Melody's gaze. He became concerned when he saw that her previously red face was getting paler, and she already seemed listless, only half-conscious.

Bri twisted above him, until Aragorn's eyes widened and he caught her gaze. She looked questioningly up at him.

"What?"

Aragorn just quietly shook his head, sighing. Bri swore he was blushing.

_Oh, right, aaawwwkwaaarrrrd!_

She suddenly remembered her friend-on the bottom!

"Mel!" she cried. "Mel, are you okay?"

No reply came except some muffled Elvish. Aragorn's lips quirked upwards into a grin.

Bri heard someone gasping, trying to talk, as two more bodies slammed down, and the last person knocked down the proxima as he came out, ending up pinned to the ceiling.

A few hobbits rolled down onto the bed, and people started climbing down, but not fast enough.

Legolas noticed Melody's breath fading, and knew if she didn't get some space to breathe _now_, she'd die.

He arched his back, putting a hand on either side of her shoulders and lifting himself away from her body.

Several people fell, swearing, until they hit the floor and saw the slender girl trapped on the bottom.

"Get up!" Gandalf ordered. "There's a young woman under there!"

Aragorn glanced at Bri, wondering for a moment if Gandalf meant her, but she seemed fine. Then he noticed Legolas straining to lift them. _Another one...?_

He got up and pulled Bri off Legolas, who rolled away, panting slightly, to reveal Melody's eyes flickering as she gasped for air, her head spinning till she felt sick.

"Melody!" Bri cried, kneeling next to her friend. "C'mon, breathe!" she scolded, sounding very much like her friend's running coach.

Melody's eyes shot open, and, taking a deep breath, she sat up. Legolas reached out, putting his hand on her back, gently supporting her.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly in the common tongue. She nodded, her strawberry-blonde hair falling into her face, glowing a soft red-gold in the lamplight as the lights flickered back on.

The entire Fellowship jumped, going into defensive positions.

_Oh, right, they use torches and candles._ Bri and Melody glanced at each other. Bri was beyond excited, her eyes shining with a Cheshire grin as she started to laugh. Melody looked more than a little unnerved, and worried.

"Don't worry, it's just the lights. You know, so we can see?" Bri told them, laughing.

The Company just stared at her.

"Hey, Bri?" Melody asked.

"Yeah?"

"We're in a shitload of trouble."

"Why? This is awesome!" Bri exclaimed. "The _Fellowship of the Ring_ is in _my basement_!"

"And what will your parents say? What do we tell the polive? Bri, what do we tell _them_?" Melody cried exasperatedly, pointing at the group of very confused-well, beings.

"The police?" Bri asked. "Why would they get involved?"

"Oh, just the fact somehow we brought _fictional characters_ to life! Your parents can't afford and won't agree to hide them!" Melody yelled.

"Fictional?" Gandalf asked. Melody turned to him.

"You're only supposed to exist in books and movies and fangirl's imaginations here."

"What's a movie?" One of the hobbits, whom Melody guessed was Pippin, though she could never tell him and Merry apart, asked curiously.

"Not the point!" Melody yelled, on the verge of losing it.

"Mel, chill!" Bri ordered. "Maybe the elf can teach you Elvish! Still want to send them back?"

"Yes!" Melody retorted, her amber eyes flashing dangerously. "They have to finish their journey!"

Melody's face twisted into a horrified expression. She leapt over Legolas' head and grabbed _The Return of the King_ from the floor. Leafing through it, she frowned.

"Let me guess..." Bri taunted her. "The ending didn't change!"

Melody shook her head. "I don't understand." she whispered. "I'm just trying to understand."

"So are we, my dear. Why don't you tell us what you know?" Gandalf said gently. Legolas hesitantly reached out and lightly brushed his fingers against her arm. Melody jumped in surprise and looked up, startled. Legolas offered her a tiny smile, and she gave him one in return.

"All right. Bri, please go calm your dogs." Bri nodded, and with one last glance at Aragorn, left.

Melody took a deep breath as the Company settled themselves on the bed. _It's going to be a looonnnggg night..._

"You all heard about this being a different world." she began.


	3. Chapter 3: Introduction to the World

**A/N: Dedicated, as always, to my amazing beta Azzie(Inkfire)! And to LadyNostarielofMirkwood, me 4evaful, Danda, and ninjawithasharpswordgirl for reviewing! They really do mean a lot to me! :D  
**

Welcome to Earth:

Chapter Three: Introduction to the World:

A distant rumble of thunder echoed through the basement as Bri's dogs barked frantically. They could smell the strangers and were confused. Bri tried to calm them, with little success. She finally took them outside as Melody attempted to explain to the Fellowship where they had ended up.

"So, we're in the future?" Gandalf guessed.

"Not exactly..." Melody sighed. "Okay, listen. A long time ago, this guy named Tolkien became famous for writing books-about your world. He _invented_ you guys out of his own brain. You don't exist in our world except in stories."

"So we're in a dead man's brain?" Pippin said, looking upset.

"No."

"He's alive?" Merry exclaimed. "He can send us home!"

"No, he's dead."

"So where are we?" Sam asked.

Melody tugged on her hair in frustration. "You're in his _world_, not his brain!" She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a migraine coming on. "I need Advil." she muttered.

"What's Advil?" Aragorn asked.

"Headache medicine!" Melody shrieked, finally losing her cool. She stomped upstairs. "Bri, I tried!" Bri started laughing.

"I can understand her frustration." Legolas said quietly. "Perhaps it would be best if we merely accepted this and we may be further able to understand in the future, with our own experiences."

"You sound like Mel." Bri commented, coming downstairs. "What did she tell you?"

Gandalf relayed Melody's tale, and Bri agreed instantly. "I don't know what else to add except we have awesomer technology!"

"Awesome-r?" Aragorn queried, quirking his eyebrow.

"Yes, awesome-r! We talk awesome-r too!" Bri giggled.

"You need to sleep." Gandalf advised, looking concerned.

"Nope!" Bri chirped. "C'mon!" The Fellowship warily followed her up the stairs, setting the dogs off again. "Hush!" Bri yelled through the door. "Sorry it's a mess." she told the odd-looking group.

Melody sighed and threw herself on the couch. "What now?" she asked. "How do we get them home?"

"Maybe they're not supposed to go home!" Bri argued.

"Then how do we keep them a secret? This world could very easily ruin them, Bri! It's too complicated now! We're used to our lives being so restricted, they're not! Bri, you can't jump on a horse and travel anymore, there are taxes and fees and...hell, we don't even have nobility anymore! Most of the people in this group are of some noble blood and used to being special! The only reason they'd be special here is they're not supposed to exist, but here they are, and-" Bri cut off her friend's rambling by shoving a cookie in her mouth. Melody bit it, then held the remains in her hand.

"And who the hell eats cookies before breakfast?" she finished. She and Bri looked at each other for a moment.

"You." Bri said finally, and the two friends burst out laughing.

"They both need to sleep." Gandalf muttered, eyeing the girls nervously. He could face wizards and Balrogs, but not two sleep-deprived teenage girls.

"Hey, since your parents split, you have all this extra space, you hide them for now." Bri told her friend. "We can work something else out later, but we have to move before my parents come home!"

"I can't drive yet!" Melody protested. "It's three weeks till I can get my license!"

"Dress Aragorn up and stick him in the front seat, he's older than twenty-one, we can give him my dad's license." Bri replied, pointing at Aragorn.

"Why isn't your dad's license with your dad?" Melody asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Well...long story short, there's one here."

"How does he have more than one license?" Bri shrugged. "Don't ask me. But I found it while I was looking for the hot chocolate mix."

"Not only is he out without a license, having two, but he keeps one in the kitchen." Melody muttered. "No wonder Bri's insane."

"Hey! I heard that!"

"Whatever!"

The Fellowship just stood quietly, looking bewildered as their eyes flickered back and forth between the two throughout their conversation.

"What time is it?" Legolas asked.

"Four-thirty!" Bri called, checking the microwave clock.

"My dad goes to work by five, we can go to my house then." Melody informed the Fellowship. "We'll have to borrow a car from someone!" She called to Bri.

"Yeah, yeah. Better yet, have Wynter drive!"

"I think she's at her mom's. Anyway, what would she tell her parents?" Melody retorted.

"She's giving you a ride home. Her mom will accept that. Be grateful she's not at her dad's." Bri advised. "Her dad wouldn't let her. Her mom loves you."

"Granted." Melody muttered, inclining her head. "But she's not going to like waking up before five!"

"Tell her she can meet some special people."

"You're handling the call."

Bri shrugged and went to go get the phone. Melody rolled her eyes. "This will be interesting. And most likely amusing." she muttered, going to grab some cereal.

"Anyone else hungry?" Bri asked, coming back with a phone in her hand.

"Hobbits in here!" Melody called, and the four hobbits ran after her.

"Wow..." they chorused. Melody laughed.

"Bri, get my camera! Hurry!" she called, doubling over and clutching her sides.

The next few minutes were spent getting everyone fed and taking pictures of the Fellowship's reactions to the world they were now stuck in.

"Can't wait to get them in a car!" Bri exclaimed.

"Oh God, I think I'm gonna die." Melody whispered, tears running down her face.

"Are you all right?" Aragorn asked, concerned. Legolas went to kneel beside her, looking worried.

"I'm fine, just...laughing...too...much...can't...breathe!"

The two men sighed. This sure was a strange world.


	4. Chapter 4: Travel

**A/N: Dedicated to my new beta silentmidnightdeath for beta'ing and a lovely review! Also dedicated to LadyNostarielofMirkwood, dandapanda, Ms. Underhill, and Archet for each lovely review! Those reviews are the reason I wrote this chapter so quickly! And the reason chapter five is about halfway done as of the moment I post this! :D Thank you so much! :D  
**

Welcome to Earth:

Chapter Four: Travel:

The large group enjoyed a large breakfast, full of Melody teasing Bri about how she would explain all the missing food to her parents.

"I'll run to the grocery store with Wynter after we drop you lot off." Bri argued, smirking.

"Who's going to pay?" Melody retorted.

"You brought them out." Bri snickered.

"Hell, no! I don't have a job! I can't pay for them!" Melody yelped, moving to tackle Bri, until Aragorn and Legolas restrained the two, Bri howling with laughter and Melody playfully furious.

"I hope we are not too expensive." Gandalf worried. "I do not believe your currency to be the same as ours."

"No. It's not. We have I think _the_ most unique currency in the world." Melody told him, pulling out some cash and change from her purse.

"That's money?" Pippin asked.

"Yep!" Bri giggled from the couch, where Aragorn had pinned her down. The king-to-be shot his elven friend a pleading look, but Legolas just shook his head, smirking as he released Melody.

Bri squirmed and tried to shove Aragorn off her as a sharp honk sounded from the driveway. "Wynter's here!"

"Did she bring anyone?" Melody cried, rushing to the window.

"No, I told her not to. Why is she honking? I told her to come on in!" Bri pouted.

"Guess what, smart one?" Melody taunted, twisting the knob. "You never unlocked the door. Over all this racket in here, she had no chance of us hearing her knock!"

"Ooops." Bri muttered, looking guilty.

"Stay back." Melody warned the Fellowship. "Go back over by Bri and sit somewhere-normal." The last bit was added as Pippin tried to sit on the computer monitor. Merry pulled him away and the four hobbits plopped down on the floor together. Aragorn almost tied Bri to the couch with a blanket and several pillows before sitting next to her, yanking Legolas down on his other side. Gandalf stood against the wall, choosing to ignore the 'sit' part of the command. Melody saw him and just shrugged. It suited his personality, at least.

With a dramatic deep breath, she yanked the door open.

"What the hell?" Wynter demanded. "I better get some answers!"

"You will. Trust me." Melody told her, smirking.

"I don't like that look, Mel. It says 'trouble' all over it!" Wynter warned. Melody's smirk grew bigger.

"C'mere." she giggled, grabbing her friend's hand and pulling her upstairs, barely remembering to close the door. She darted back down to slam it, and Wynter took the last few steps upstairs, turned, and screamed.

"WHAT THE-" Melody leapt up the stairs in one hop and wrapped her arms around her friend's head, hands firmly over her mouth. Wynter licked her hands, and Melody let go, stepping back with a yelp. She made a face at the blonde, then pranced over to sit in the middle of the floor.

"Yes, they're real, yes, they're here, yes, they're who you think they are, not the actors, they're the real Fellowship and we all need a ride to my house minus Bri, who needs a ride to the grocery store." Melody reeled off, looking extremely pleased with something.

"You're kidding. This is a really bad joke!" Wynter cried.

"Pretend it's a dream." Melody advised her. "Or you'll faint." The Fellowship stared at her. "What?" she asked, shrugging at them.

"I thought you were the realistic one." Gandalf commented from his spot by the wall, beside Wynter, who gave him a startled look. He met her gaze and smiled in what he desperately hoped was a reassuring way. She raised an eyebrow and edged away from him nervously.

"I'd rather have another Bri driving than an unconscious Wynter." Melody informed him, which puzzled the entire Fellowship for quite some time, until the hobbits pestered Melody into pointing out the huge difference in the two girls' personalities.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Melody cried excitedly, a noticeable difference from last night. Legolas and Gandalf cast her worried looks, and the hobbits crowded excitedly around her. "Ikuyo!"

"What?" Bri and Wynter asked along with the Fellowship.

"'Let's go!' in Japanese." Melody explained.

"...NERD." Melody just smiled sweetly.

"Maybe we should get going before Bri's parents show up, or maybe people start looking out their windows, you know?" she offered.

"Good point." Wynter muttered. "Okay, I'll open the doors to the van you two get everyone inside ASAP, then I close them. Seats don't matter, just get everyone inside, got it?"

"I thought coming up with crazy plans was my job!" Melody pouted.

"No, it's mine!" Bri exclaimed. "Your job is keeping me from accidentally killing anyone!" The Fellowship eased away from her upon hearing that.

"My parents' car. My life at stake. We use my crazy plan." Wynter stated, laughing.

"Your life is at stake?" Boromir asked, looking interested.

"Yes." Wynter stated again, nodding emphatically. "If we get caught, I'm screwed."

"Screwed?" Pippin wondered.

"Explain on the way! Ikuyo!" Melody cried, ushering the hobbits towards the door. "Follow me, Bri, get the door!" The dark-haired girl nodded and grabbed the handle as Wynter left. Once the doors were open, Bri yanked the door wide and Melody flew out, sprinting for the car and leaping in the side. "Don't ask questions, just go!"

With some reluctance, the Fellowship followed, crowding in behind her as she attempted to direct traffic so that everyone would fit. The hobbits ended up stacked on people's laps, while Bri and Wynter got front seats.

Wynter turned and giggled at the sight as the doors closed. In her seven-person minivan, Boromir, Frodo, and Gandalf were lined up in back with Frodo in the middle, and Merry, Sam, and Pippin on their laps respectively, with a protesting Sam on Frodo's lap. All six looked very uncomfortable. None had figured out the seat belts yet, despite Bri's showy way of putting hers on.

The next row consisted of Aragorn and Legolas, with Melody crouching in the middle, glaring daggers at Bri. Legolas noticed the look Wynter shot her friend.

"Is it unsafe to sit on the floor?" he asked.

"Unsafe and illegal." Wynter replied, reaching for the key. Legolas reached out and pulled Melody up into his lap, blushing slightly, but better awkward than dead.

"Not that unsafe." Melody muttered, blushing a lot more than the elf. Sighing, she reached around and pulled over the seat belt. "Everyone's got one of these-put them on!" She spent the next five minutes doing seat-belt check, while her two friends just laughed. Wynter even attempted filming it on her phone.

Once everyone was seated with their seat belts on, Melody practically sitting on Legolas' knees and hissing threats through the headrest at Bri until he pulled her back after noticing a warning look from Wynter and guessing that this was unsafe as well. She didn't protest, and once Wynter started the car, yawned and hesitantly leaned back against his chest, closing her eyes. He cast her a worried glance, but Aragorn just smiled.

"We did keep them up all night." he reminded his friend. Legolas just nodded, resting a hand on Melody's shoulder and his chin on her head. She curled up in his lap and fell asleep in moments.

"Well that's just great." Wynter muttered. "She can be grateful I helped her move, or she'd have to give me directions to her new house!"

"New house?" Pippin asked. "Why'd they move?"

Wynter met his gaze in the rearview mirror. "Long story. You'd have to ask her when she wakes up. It's kinda personal."

"Personal?" Merry wondered. "Is that like private?"

"Yes." Bri told him, looking back at her friend in the elf's lap, smiling at first, then looking more serious than the Fellowship had ever seen her. "Extremely."


	5. Chapter 5: Video Games

**A/N: Dedicated to my new beta silentmidnightdeath and my last reviewer anime fan 202101202! And all my reviewers from chapter three again, this one was written in the same burst of inspiration! :D  
**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Five: Video Games:

The entire Fellowship had dealt well with the car moving, once Bri told them it was a cart that didn't need horses, which set off a discussion about horsepower that completely baffled everyone but Gandalf. So apparently wizards were scientists in other worlds.

When they pulled up in Melody's driveway, the Fellowship stared. They'd seen the houses around Bri's home, which were modest, but this...was like a mansion.

"Is she a princess?" Pippin wondered idly.

"No. But her dad is very smart and the people he works for love him because he spends all his time doing his job." Wynter replied, slipping out of the car. "He's probably already left."

"What about his daughter?" Legolas asked, frowning. Both Bri and Wynter turned away. The Fellowship looked at the sleeping girl in the elven Prince's lap. She'd seemed so happy. It was hard to believe that her father didn't love her.

Melody stirred and lifted her head. "I'm not the only one."

"Weren't you asleep?" Bri yelped.

"Was. 'Till you and Wynter went off in your own little world up there." Melody yawned again, ducking her head to avoid the curious stares. "Now that you're done giving away details of my private life, I'll go check if the coast is clear, hmm?" there was an edge to her voice that the Fellowship hadn't heard before. She wasn't happy.

Slipping out of Legolas' lap, Melody climbed out and went up to the door. She poked her head in and yelled "Hey, I'm home!"

When she didn't get an answer, she pulled her head back out and beckoned her friends to come on. They rushed the Fellowship inside and Melody basically set them free to explore.

"If you see something you're not familiar with, don't touch it." was her only warning. The exploration process proved a bit chaotic at first, but eventually everyone settled down.

"So...what now?" Bri asked.

"Should we test my theory?" Wynter asked.

"What theory?" Gandalf queried, curious.

"That all males are obsessed with video games upon introduction."

"What's a video game?" Pippin asked.

"You'll see." Melody told him.

"How many controllers do you have? What game should we start them out on?" Bri asked, excited now. "I'll get popcorn!"

"What the-this isn't a theater!" Melody yelled after her as Bri disappeared into the kitchen.

"She didn't really give us a tour." Boromir muttered to Aragorn. Aragorn just shrugged.

"Her friends are here."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Aragorn just sighed.

"Okay, listen up." Melody ordered, standing in front of what Bri had called a 'T.V.'. "I only have two controllers for each system. So only two people can play at a time. So, I need two volunteers to go first."

"She's very organized. Methodical." Legolas commented from behind Aragorn, who twisted around to look up at him.

"Yes, compared to her crazy friends, that's a good thing. She's the sane one." he laughed.

"We all heard that!" Bri exclaimed indignantly, as she arrived with a big bowl of white and yellow fluffy stuff. She and Wynter snacked lightly.

"I thought you didn't like popcorn!" Melody called.

"Yours is special." Melody rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Two volunteers? Anyone?" she pleaded.

Pippin raised his hand. "Since it's a game, we are on opposite teams, correct?"

"You don't have to be. The game will make up an opposing team if you want to play together."

"It's a smart game." Bri said, lounging across most of the couch. Melody glared at her for a second, then sighed.

"Sure. So, who's first?"

"I'll go." Legolas offered.

"Why don't you play with him so he's not completely slaughtered?" Wynter asked. "I don't mean literally killed, just that unless we play with you guys, you're going to lose by a lot for now." she added, seeing the looks on their faces.

"Okay. Legolas?" Melody asked, uncertain as to how to address the elven prince. It took her a moment to realize this was the first time any of them had directly addressed another by name, except between her and her two friends.

"Yes?" Melody took that as meaning that just his name was fine with him.

"C'mere for a sec." she beckoned him over. "This one's a PlayStation, this is PlayStation 2, and a PlayStation 3. This white one is a Wii, and the black one making noises with green lights is our Xbox 360. The ancient one in the corner is a Nintendo thing. These are the ones that hook up to the TV, so those are our options for now. They're arranged in order of how advanced they are. The Xbox is the newest."

"Newest! Let's see how advanced their society is!" Merry cried, earning glares from the girls. Legolas shrugged.

"Which is your favorite?" he asked, turning to Melody.

"I'm a girl, hence the almost-complete lack of interest." she teased. "But since my dad's such a video-game freak, I play some. I have favorite games for each system. I tend to lean towards the PlayStation 2, Wii, or Xbox. The Nintendo's only when I'm feeling nostalgic for my childhood."

"Try a racing game!" Bri called. "You love those!"

"Yeah, but the first time he saw a car was maybe half an hour ago, smart one." Melody sighed. "I'm not sure it would make sense to him."

"None of this does." Legolas said with a rare smile. "But racing sounds like fun."

The three girls and several members of the Fellowship stared at him.

"Racing games it is, then." Melody said, blinking. "Let's start old, the Nintendo I could play in my sleep."

"And who says you haven't?" Wynter teased.

"The fact that it was buried in the basement till we moved and since then I've slept in this house maybe twice." Melody stated carelessly, tossing her hair over her should as she bent to plug in the Nintendo.

"Are you serious?" Bri yelled, shooting up off the couch.

"Yep." Melody hummed, handing Legolas a controller. "Don't touch the buttons yet." she warned, fiddling with her own controller as the TV screen lit up.

"Okay. See what I'm doing? I'm choosing my car...character...Now you. This one moves the selection bar thingie, this one goes forward, this one goes back." Legolas nodded, and played with the buttons. "That's Start, don't push that unless you want to quit or start over." Melody fiddled with her controller some more and brought the screen back. "I have the first-player so I get to make all the big decisions. Basically, I'm in control, pretty much." The Fellowship were confused, but they went with it.

"Okay, quickly!" Melody pointed over Legolas' shoulder. "This is 'go' this is 'back' this steers-push it in the direction you want to go. Don't worry about any of the other buttons." He nodded again, looking determined.

"You're not telling him the cheats." Bri taunted.

"Who cares?" Melody retorted. "Go!" They pressed 'go' at the same time, weaving their way across the screen, Melody with more grace than the elf, who became hopelessly lost.

"Where the hell are you?" Melody muttered. "Oh yeah, oops. Split screen. You're on bottom."

"I am?"

"Yeah, sorry!" Melody ducked the pillow Bri threw at her. "Aren't you going shopping?"

"Oh, yeah! Wynter..." Bri pleaded. "Could you give me a tiny little ride?" Wynter sighed.

"I told my parents I'd be out all day, so I guess. Mel, I'll come back here after I take her home and we can go shopping, okay?"

"Sure, thanks!" Melody replied, grinning as she crossed the finish line. "Not bad." she told Legolas. "Great recovery."

"Competitive. All guys are." Wynter smirked. "My theory has been proven!"

"That's only one!"

"Fine, play with the rest of them for an hour or so, the results should be the same." Melody stuck her tongue out at the blonde, then smirked. She turned to Legolas. "Wanna play with someone else?"


	6. Chapter 6: New Friends

**A/N: Wow, beta offers much? Thanks to my friend LadyNostarielofMirkwood for doing this one! I'll find someone with my style and settle down lolz. Thanks also to all my reviewers, Cetacea-of-Time and dandapanda! And special thanks to Ms. Underhill for all the ideas for upcoming chapters! Ch 8-whenever you run out are henceforth dedicated to you! :D  
**

Welcome to Earth:

Chapter Six: New Friends:

Two hours later, Wynter returned to find Melody watching anime on her laptop whle sprawled across the kitchen table, Legolas sitting on the counter smiling in the direction of the TV, four hobbits sitting around eating, and Aragorn and Boromir wrestling over an Xbox controller.

The sight was so amusing she took several pictures and a five-minute video of the wrestling match before stepping in and yanking Melody off the table and onto the floor by way of greeting.

"What was that for?" Melody shrieked.

"This place is a mess! But you did prove my theory right."

"Even Gandalf played! It was hard to get him off...Then he asked for coffee."

"You didn't!" Wynter gasped in shock.

"I don't have any, remember? If I did, I would've finished it a long time ago." Melody smirked.

"True." Wynter eyed the wrestling men nervously. "Are we going or not?"

"Have to. They need clothes to blend in, at least." Melody grabbed her secret credit card, that not even Wynter knew about. "This'll cover it without my dad knowing anything."

"How do you know?" Wynter asked suspiciously.

"Cause I do." Melody replied mysteriously. "Ikuyo!"

"What about them?" Frodo asked, glancing back towards the wrestling match.

"Swider blood to the rescue!" Melody cried, running over and throwing herself between the two men.

"Oi, you two! We're leaving, let's go!" She grabbed each of their wrists and attempted to drag them to the door. She did manage to pull them both a few feet at the same time, before Legolas came over and gently pulled her away, for once laughing out loud, along with the rest of them.

"Wow, Mel. Just...Wow." Wynter commented, shaking her head.

"I thought she was sane." Gandalf said woefully.

"Ooops." Melody giggled.

"You're like, high or something. Let's go, chica." Wynter said, picking Melody up and carrying her out the door. The Fellowship stared after them, most of them still laughing.

"I like it here!" Pippin cried, running out the door after them. Gandalf sighed and followed, leading the remainder of the Fellowship. Legolas turned off the Xbox and TV on his way out, grateful that Melody had showed him how.

"All right! Where to? Strip mall or real mall?" Wynter asked, grinning. Melody sat in front with her this time.

"Real!" Pippin cried. Everyone laughed again.

"I'll go with Pippin's idea. There's more at a real mall, we'll be done sooner." Melody pointed out. Wynter nodded.

"Real mall it is!"

The trip seemed to take very little time, with the two girls answering all the questions from various members of the Fellowship about the things they saw and the way they worked. Everything from a stop sign to a flashing billboard was questioned, and described to the best of the girls' ability.

Wynter pulled effortlessly into a parking slot as close to the building as she could get. She turned to Melody as she shut the car down. "How are we going to do this?"

"Split up." Melody replied.

"You know what I mean! How are we sneaking them into a mall without disguises?"

"We walk in, say we brought them from a convention, and someone stole their clothes." Melody stated. It occurred to Gandalf that she had been pondering this the whole time, whereas Wynter had just thought of it.

"They're not from your anime!"

"Conventions aren't anime only. Some dude dressed up as Legolas and out-danced three girls at a convention in...2011? I think, to 'Single Ladies'." Melody pointed out. Wynter stared at her.

"You've never been to a convention." Wynter stated, staring at her friend, who laughed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"YouTube is wonderful." She giggled. "And that vid was hilarious!"

Wynter just shook her head. "You have too much free time."

"Excuse me?" Melody asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Let me clarify. During this time of year!" Wynter exclaimed, reaching out to whack her friend on the head.

"What happens during the other times of year?" Legolas asked curiously.

"She gets busy and doesn't sleep for three months at a time." Wynter muttered, getting out. "Everyone out!"

"How do you do that?" Frodo asked curiously.

"I'm a determined girl. Now, Ikuyo!" Wynter sighed and shook her head. Melody led the way inside.

"Okaaayyy...where first?" Melody asked.

"How are we going to pay separately?" Wynter asked. Melody waved her phone in the blonde's face in reply.

"Been wanting to use this." Wynter sighed again.

"Who's going with who?" Melody shrugged.

"You lot. Split in two groups as evenly as possible." Wynter gave the other girl a sideways look.

"You're being bossy."

"So? It worked." And it had. Before them stood two groups. One consisting of hobbits and Gandalf, the other, Legolas, Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli. The two girls exchanged looks.

"Hey!"came a call from farther inside. "It's Wynter and Melody!" The two girls in question froze.

"Uh-oh..." Melody whispered. She turned slowly, and smiled, looking like she was in pain.

"Hey!" Two blonde girls hightailed it out to hug their friends.

"What are you doing?" The taller of the two newcomers asked.

"Getting them clothes so they blend in. Do me a huge favor?" Melody asked after her quick explanation.

"Help out?" The shorter blonde asked with a grin.

"Por favor."

"But of course! We'll take the hobbits!"

"Two each." Melody quickly did the math. "Someone has to take three!" The hobbits had already departed with their guides, and Wynter quietly snuck away with Gandalf and Boromir in tow.

"Oi! Omoi!" Melody yelled after them, frustrated. "Grrrrr..." Gimli recoiled from her feral growl, and Legolas eyed her nervously. Aragorn just smiled.

"We won't cause any trouble." He nudged the elf and dwarf. "Riiight?" The two looked at each other, and at him. Seeing the look on his face, they nodded fearfully.

"Intentionally." Melody muttered. "I'm shopping too!" she decided. "Okay, come on!"


	7. Chapter 7: Shopping!

**A/N: OMG. Okay. Dedicated to: silentmidnightdeath for beta'ing, and to all my lovely reviewers: dandapanda, Cetacea-of-Time, Archet, Ms. Underhill, and AvengedSevenfoldLover for reviewing! You're the reason this story got written mostly in one day so far! :D Whatever jinx you put in the reviews worked-I couldn't focus on anything but writing this one story all day! Anything else just annoyed me...meh. :D As a reward, most of these are going up ASAP.**

Welcome to Earth:

Chapter Seven: Shopping!

Melody led them quickly along, chasing Gimli and dragging Aragorn and Legolas, trying desperately to avoid curious eyes.

"What-" one of the other shoppers began. Melody flashed him a smile while yanking on Gimli's beard to get him to stop.

"Convention, someone stole their clothes."

"There was another young lady with four little men who said that."

"We split up, figured it would be easier. Conventions are crazy-so are the people." Melody muttered, eyeing her group.

"Ah. Good luck!" the man told her, walking away. Melody breathed out a huge sigh of relief.

"One disaster averted."

She pulled then up to the front of one of the 'stores' and led them inside. It appeared that she knew this particular 'store' quite well, for she didn't stop until she reached the area she wanted.

"Men's. Aragorn, Legolas, here. Fitting rooms there, means you try stuff on but don't take any tags off till I've paid. Gimli, with me."

"Why? I'm as much of a-"

"The sizes there won't fit you, but you're welcome to try." Melody snapped.

"Well..." the dwarf shuffled his feet, not liking this. "I don't want to do this 'shopping' with a woman."

"You're better off that way. Most men can't shop to save their lives." All three gave her an indignant look. Melody shrugged.  
"Sad, but true. It's a woman's job. Normal girls enjoy it!"

"Enjoy? This?" Legolas asked, looking curious. Melody sighed again.

"Look, go, find clothes. I'll take care of Gimli." the dwarf gave the other two pleading eyes, and...when Melody looked closer, she realized he was blushing.

"What the-I'm not going to kill you!"

"No, but...Lassie, I-"

"Just stop there." Melody looked exhausted. Aragorn decided to take pity on her.

"These-fitting rooms...?"

"One person. Change and come out if other people want to see. Then go back in and change back. I'm figuring you're all old enough to know what fits and what doesn't, even if it's a little unfamiliar." Melody couldn't hide the blush rushing across her cheeks, so she settled with whacking the dwarf upside the head. "Baka." she muttered.

"What does that mean?" Legolas asked. _Elves and languages, apparently._

"'Idiot' or 'stupid'."

"Now wait just a sec-" Gimli yelped in protest as the now upset and embarrassed girl dragged him off.

"I'll be back!" she called to the man and elf standing next to a shelf of jeans looking lost.

Fitting Gimli proved only slightly difficult. Melody took him to the boys' section and found that he was about the same size as an extremely overweight child. Shrugging, she decided to abstain from informing him of that fact, but there were enough clothes-barely-that fit him. She took him back to the men's section when they were done, and after a few minutes of searching, saw no sign of man or elf.

"What the-" Melody began, then her eyes narrowed. "The fitting rooms." She sighed. "No one's screaming." she muttered, and it sounded like she was trying to gather her courage.

She led the way to the fitting rooms to find Legolas standing in front of a mirror with a tie wrapped ridiculously around his neck, and muffled struggling with Aragorn's voice swearing from one of the stalls.

"Great." Melody muttered. "Just great. Hey, you!" she snapped at one man who was staring. "Do you _mind_?"

The man left quickly, not without a few last glances over his shoulder. Melody sighed yet again and went up to Legolas. She seemed annoyed as she yanked on the tie, expecting it to come off, not expecting the elf to fall at her feet choking.

"What the hell did you _do_?" she yelped, kneeling next to him. Apparently she'd yanked some knot closed, one that she couldn't even see, and it was now choking him. That and the fact his hair was all tangled in the tie made it worse.

"Anyone have a dagger? Sword?" she asked quietly. "Something sharp?"

"You stripped us of weapons lassie."

"Oh yeah. Otherwise we'd definitely be arrested." Melody explained, tugging the tie away from Legolas' neck and Aragorn poked his head out.

"Melody...what happened?" At first it sounded like he needed help, but now he was just worried.

"Unless you're amazing at knots, stay back." Melody warned, as Legolas twisted, trying to relieve the pressure. "Baka." she told the elf, easing her fingers under the tie and sliding her hands across his neck until she felt the knot. His panicked eyes met hers-without his knives, he couldn't get free. "Hang in there." she whispered encouragingly as she wriggled her fingers into the knot, one hand pulling his hair free, the other easing more of the tail end of the tie into the knot so that it loosened enough that she could push it back.

Legolas gasped a huge breath of air and lay on the floor, panting.

"You okay?" Melody asked, laying a cool hand against his neck. He nodded, whispering a quiet thank you.

"It kinda was my fault to start with." she pointed out, standing up. He shook his head.

"I was...stuck." he admitted.

"I could've gotten you free without threatening your life." she sounded cross.

"If you'd known there was a knot." Aragorn reminded her.

"Which you didn't." Legolas finished. Melody looked at the pair of them.

"I'm really surprised you're not brothers."

"I'm surprised you're not a soldier." Aragorn returned.

"What? Me? NO!" Melody yelled. "What gave you that idea?"

"You stayed calm when another life was in danger. You knew the balance between haste and panicking, knew what to say, and what to do. Many would have run screaming." Legolas told her, smiling. "If you had, I'd likely be dead."

"That? Psh. Nothing." Melody waved it off. "Got clothes? Fit? Yes? Good. Shoes next."

"Bossy enough." Gimli whispered, and his two companions smiled.

"Heard that!" Melody called.

"Ears of an elf." the dwarf cursed, folding his arms.

"That, too! Hurry up! Hyaku!"

The three members of the Fellowship followed her. Shoes turned out not to be as much of a problem after she showed them how to tie sneakers. They all teased Legolas about knots, until Melody noticed that he was becomingly genuinely annoyed and whacked Gimli for his next comment, warning him to be quiet or he'd find himself being strangled by shoelaces, which, she told them, was more pathetic than a tie. That shut the dwarf up pretty quickly.

After Melody paid, receiving only a few strange looks, she led them out across the aisle to a bench in front of a girl's prom dress store. Legolas saw the longing look she gave the dresses and nudged her towards the store.

"You should get something for yourself, too."

"I don't need anything." Melody mumbled.

"I thought you said you enjoyed shopping? Go have fun. We'll sit here." Aragorn reminded her.

Melody shook her head. She pulled out her phone and checked her texts. "Wynter's done, I have to go pay for them. I'll bring them back here. The hobbits are having shoe troubles."

"How do you know?" Aragorn asked, amazed.

Melody spent five minutes showing him the texts and explaining as best she could, while telling the other two to go to the men's restroom by the exit and explaining that they could change in the stalls. She ripped off the tags of a shirt, set of pants, and shoes for each of them and sent them on their way.

"Right here." she ordered, pointing at the bench. "I'll be back."

Fifteen minutes later, Melody appeared with a laughing Wynter in tow. Gandalf and Boromir followed, looking subdued.

Gandalf was dressed like somebody's grandfather, with a light blue button-down short sleeve, and black dress pants. He even wore black dress shoes, and had a new shiny watch that Wynter had explained. They'd gotten it to fit the 'grandfather' persona as a joke.

Boromir was dressed in all black, black T-shirt, black-tinted jeans, black sneakers. Plain black. Except the red Nike logo on the shoes.

Both girl's mouths dropped when they saw Aragorn and Legolas, surrounded by flirty girls and looking extremely uncomfortable.

"It's Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortenson! Shopping together!" one girl squealed.

"They're not, now move!" Melody snapped, shoving her way through. Legolas looked up, a grateful expression on his face.

"Don't worry. Movie stars, you look like famous people. Some of the top-rated best-looking men in the world famous people." Melody explained, sensing a problem in the making. The two exchanged looks.

"How do we fix that?"

"You really can't. Not unless you're desperate enough to permanently maim yourselves." Melody informed them. The two just sighed.

"You have to admit, they do look nice." Wynter commented.

"Coming from the girl with a boyfriend!" Melody retorted, blushing. It was true.

Aragorn was wearing a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and black-and-white sneakers, Legolas, a green T-shirt with a tree on it, jeans, and brown boots that Melody had agreed to instead of sneakers simply because she thought they suited the elf better.

"What's all the fuss about?" Gimli pouted. He'd ended up in a graphic black T-shirt and too-long dark jeans. The rest of the males, the clothes fit nicely, tight across the chest, looser pants. Gandalf looked extremely awkward, uneasy without his robes, but it couldn't be helped. Their clothes were stashed away in a bag.

"You two should shop for yourselves." Legolas reminded Melody, who nodded.

"What?" Wynter asked.

"We've nothing better to do while we wait. The hobbits wish to be taken out for lunch."

"Should we meet them a Sweet Tomatoes?" Melody's eyes widened.

"YES!" her cry rang through the mall, echoing around. People looked and laughed, seeing only an excited teenage girl.

The Fellowship eased away from her as she jumped around excitedly. "Yay!" She hugged Wynter out of pure joy, then danced her way into the store.

"Well." Aragorn stated.

"That." Boromir managed.

"Was." Gimli whispered.

"Strange." Legolas finished politely.


	8. Chapter 8: Dresses and Restaurants

**A/N: Thanks to silentmidnightdeath and LadyNostarielofMirkwood -I want to use spaces...grrr...- for beta'ing this chapterand your different points of view. Thank you to all of you out there who PM'ed me all freaking day, encouraging me to keep writing. I will officially announce that I spent six hours straight with one fifteen-minute break for lunch writing this story for you guys! I hope you like it! It hope it's as fun to read as it was to write. -I'm sitting here cracking up as I type yes I'm weird get over it-. This has been my longest writing session ever! Thank you for your encouragement! This story is now dedicated to you! :D Without further ado...chapter eight! :D**

Welcome to Earth!:

Chapter Eight: Dresses and Restaurants:

"You know what?" Wynter giggled as she and Melody pulled dresses off the racks.

"What?" Melody asked, squealing in delight as she found her 'perfect' dress. It was the best dress she'd found that suited her, well, perfectly.

"We should re-instate that picture my mom took of us-same dresses, get shoes to go with, and have them all come in to see."

Melody started at her friend. "That..." she began, "is awesome! Let's do it!" She ran to the front and stuck her head out. "Hey, guys! C'mere!" The Fellowship followed her in warily. She and Wynter sat them down in a row, giggling the whole time, which made the cashier laugh too. She helped them pick out shoes and accessories before they went to change.

The two girls couldn't stop laughing the whole time they were changing, and when they stepped out, everyone had their backs to the changing rooms.

"You can turn around now!" Wynter called. Melody had a giggle fit and had to step back, doubled over laughing. Wynter smirked at her friend as she twirled around. Her dress was all colors of blue, with a peacock sort of pattern on the skirt, strapless and floor-length, like a ball gown. She'd had the cashier help braid her hair back elven-style and put feathers in it to match the peacock theme. All the blue brought out her eyes against her blonde hair, turning her into a fairy-tale beauty. She almost looked like a Sindarin or Silvan elf.

"Beautiful." Gandalf commented neutrally. Legolas nodded, looking a bit more like he meant it, and smiled. Aragorn smiled too.

"It suits you."

Gimli sat and stared, then realized he was staring and looked away. "Aye, it does." Wynter laughed softly.

"Mel, c'mon!" she called. Melody eased her foot out from behind the wall, still totally not used to heels, and afraid of falling. She stepped carefully out, looking down with her cheeks burning. The store went silent as the Fellowship just stared.

Wynter they could see as beautiful. She was so elegant and fun all the time, they expected it. And they weren't disappointed.

Melody was a little more of the 'comfortable' type, not one they saw as beautiful-normally. She had a rounder face, and looked a lot more like a child to Wynter's looking like a lady.

But she had transformed completely. Except for her confidence. She raised her eyes nervously to see them all staring and tried to leave, but Wynter grabbed her arm, forcing her to stay put or fall over.

Melody couldn't pull off the long, elegant dresses like Wynter, but she'd found her own style with this one. It, too, was strapless, but red, with little clear gems winking from across the bodice. The skirt was less poufy, and more or less hung straight down from her hips, the front ending just at her knees, while the sides fell in layers to the back, which just brushed the ground behind her heels, tapered like a feathered tail in an arrowhead shape. The skirt fell in inch-wide strips of light fabric on the sides and back, with a thicker layer under the light one that also ended at her knees. The front was one smooth piece over the thicker layer, so that only the back looked like feathers.

Wynter pulled her around, showing off their dresses. The red suited Melody perfectly, the lights sparkling in her hair, bringing out different fiery shades of orange, red, and gold. Her hair was braided back like Wynter's, with little flowers in it. The lower part of her hair looked darker, making her look more like a Noldor elf than Wynter's Sindarin or Silvan.

All the fellowship were awed by the transformation, although Gimli didn't take his eyes off Wynter for long, and Boromir seemed to think the blonde looked better as well, Aragorn simply smiled at them both and went back to his thoughts of another, trying to picture her in a similar dress, while his eyes glazed over. Gandalf nodded at them both, humming a random ditty softly and looking around while bobbing his head. Legolas stood entranced, his staring making Melody blush and Wynter smirk. Melody brushed her too-long side bangs out of her eyes, staring at the ground and tracing a pattern in the flooring with her toe, until Legolas stepped closer and lifted her chin gently with his fingers.

"The only way for you to look more beautiful would be for you to smile." he told her, and Wynter had to cover her mouth to stifle her huge grin and hide her excitement. That _so_ sounded like flirting!

Melody's face turned bright red and she mumbled some sort of 'thank you' before Wynter grabbed her arm, yanking her away from the elf so they could talk, throwing her off balance so that she started swaying, her eyes widening in fear.

The yank sent her toppling towards the ground, luckily for her, Legolas was already right there and caught her easily. By now, her face was bright strawberry red again, and she seemed incapable of speech. Wynter whistled softly, and Melody glared at her. Aragorn raised his eyebrows.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Wynter whispered, leaning close to his ear. Aragorn smiled. Wynter giggled and darted back into the fitting room, abandoning her friend to the awkward situation. Her phone going off startled everyone, and Wynter grabbed it.

"Alec?" Melody asked, as Legolas put her back on her feet, keeping one hand on her back to steady her.

"Yep!" Wynter's face fell. "He wants us to go out tonight."

"Then go. Just drop us back off at my house. You can sleep over another night." Melody encouraged.

"You sure? How will you-" Wynter began, concerned.

"I'll be fine." Melody interrupted. "Let's go, we're supposed to be at the restaurant already!"

Wynter drove them all across the parking lot to Sweet Tomatoes, and Melody turned around from the front seat to lecture the members of the Fellowship that they currently had with them about how the restaurant worked. Wynter sat and occasionally laughed or made a comment.

They walked in together, and teased everyone about their food choices. The Fellowship quickly learned about Melody's passion for strawberries, which was legendary, and both girls' love of chocolate. Legolas went to get some salad, and found four girls staring at him.

"Typical." one of the hobbits' guides said. "Elf."

They all laughed and moved away, leaving a very confused Legolas. Melody took pity on him and backtracked.

"It's okay, it's just, Elves...we expect that sort of thing, so...they think it's funny that we're right." Legolas gave her a bemused look, and she just shook her head. "Don't think about it." She smiled up at him shyly, then ran off after her friends, almost completely missing the smile he gave her in return.

The Elf watched her rejoin her group, saw them all start poking her and laughing, and figured they were making fun of her for something, but he didn't know what. Then he saw the Fellowship staring at him.

"What now?" he asked, slightly irritated. Why wouldn't anyone explain anything to him?

Aragorn stepped up beside his friend. "Well, seems you found a lady. We're happy for you."

Legolas' eyes widened and he backed away. "What? No. I just..." he trailed off, seeing the look on his friend's face. "I..."

Aragorn laughed. "She's a nice young lady. Probably the best match for you out of anyone we've met, in this world or ours."

"She is mortal. And much too young." Legolas pointed out. "And we do not even know if she is seeing someone!"

"She's not. Not right now, anyway." Wynter said, coming back for them. "We have to pay over here, come on."

"How do you know who we're talking about?" Gimli asked suspiciously.

"Because we were just teasing Mel about the elf ourselves. That comment at the dress store was pretty sweet." Gimli took a closer look at the elven prince.

"Are you blushing?" Legolas jumped.

"No!" he protested, a definite blush spreading across his cheeks.

"He was." Wynter and Aragorn said at the same time. The Fellowship laughed, following Melody and her other two friends to a group of tables. Legolas stayed towards the back, and took the last seat before going to get something to drink.

When he got back, he realized his seat was the only one by Melody's other than Wynter sitting across from her. He glared at Aragorn, who merely smiled. Along with the rest of their group.

"I'm not gonna bite." Melody teased gently, moving over so he could sit. He carefully sat beside her, wondering what he should do. Wynter quickly pulled Melody into conversation, giving him time to eat and think.

When Wynter left to get more food, Melody turned to her plate and ate quietly. Legolas noticed the large amount of strawberry-flavored and chocolate items on her tray and smiled.

"What? A girl can't have favorites?" Melody asked, finishing quickly. She stood and edged around Legolas before leaving to get more food as well.

"Talk to her!" Gimli whispered loudly. Legolas shook his head.

"Nothing could ever be possible between us. It is wrong to encourage anything."

"Always so serious." Gandalf broke in. "Lighten up some, have some fun."

"Listen, elf." Gimli began in a threatening tone. "Just don't push her away anymore. You're giving her the impression you dislike her, and it will upset her. I'm not saying encourage anything, I'm just saying don't let her think you hate her."

"He has a good point." Aragorn agreed. "She's nervous around you now, like you're threatening her."

Legolas looked at his tray. "Why are women so complicated?"

"No one knows, laddie. No one knows. And the one who finds the answer will be rich beyond measure!" Gimli said wisely, nodding. Everyone looked at him with an odd expression.

"Did we miss something amusing?" Melody asked, and Legolas looked up. The light behind her framed her hair, forming some sort of fiery halo, and her eyes sparkled with happiness. As she looked over at him, her smile became smaller, more shy, and she blinked, surprised by the intense look in his eyes, as she started blushing again.

_She is not scared...she is just nervous. Like me._

"So?" Wynter asked Aragorn.

"What?"

"Now that we've got Mel and elf-boy on track, how about you and Bri?"

"What?"


	9. Chapter 9: Settling In

**A/N: Thanks to silentmidnightdeath for beta'ing and all my lovely readers/reviewers/PM bugs lolz. :D This is for you!  
**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Nine: Settling In:

Aragorn sat in the middle of Sweet Tomatoes, staring in shock at the blonde across from him.

"No. Absolutely not."

"Oh c'mon, the way you two look at each other-"

"No." He got up and left.

"Well, he's being difficult." Wynter muttered.

"Surely you know of his love for Arwen?" Boromir asked, surprised.

"How much of it is love and how much she's a noble elf? How much she's pretty, and how much she's nice or fun?"

"No one but them can answer that question. And neither will want to."

"Because they're scared an in denial." Wynter shook her head. "I've seen enough relationships thanks to Mel, mostly, to know when they're right and wrong."

"Melody?" Sam asked in surprise.

"She gets her heart broken about once every two weeks." Wynter sighed, looking over at her friend. "Elf-boy's nice enough to look after her, and that's what she really needs. Everyone abandons her, and I know he won't do that. He's true enough to stick to his word, kind enough not to give his word if he can't stick to it, and she's down-to-earth enough to help him relax. I can see them working out. Aragorn and Arwen? Look nice together, but how well do they really know each other?"

The truth in that statement rang through the air, and the group fell silent, except for Legolas and Melody. It seemed the two were just talking, getting to know each other.

"Yeah, it's fun! We pull all kinds of stunts that scare my grandma, but no one's ever gotten really hurt yet." Melody was saying.

Legolas laughed. "It sounds like Aragorn was right when he said you should be a soldier."

"No way!" Melody protested, shaking her head. "Like I said before, I don't do blood."

"But you do have a courageous and loyal heart. That is the most important part. Courage and loyalty give one the strength to be strong and stand up in the face of danger." Legolas encouraged her.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Melody retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, I would." Legolas replied honestly, then looked confused as Melody and Wynter cracked up laughing. The Fellowship smiled at him.

"Everyone ready?" Wynter asked, standing.

A chorus of 'Yes' followed, and they left the restaurant. They parted from the hobbits' guides and went back to Melody's house with Wynter.

"All right. My dad technically gets off work around two. So we have half an hour. But he rarely comes home before eight anymore."

"Why not?" Legolas asked. Melody shook her head.

"Long story. I'll explain later. Basically, we need to work out how I'm going to keep you hidden. So far, all you've seen is us being careless and having fun. But if anyone finds out about you, people will take advantage of you without realizing you're your own people, and you can take care of yourselves. And that's a mess. My dad's not...observant, right now. That's why you're at my house. He's least likely to notice. Small things he'll ignore. As long as he doesn't see any of you, he won't ask questions. That doesn't mean throw a huge party in the basement. But you get my point."

"So he's the least likely to notice if we talk, but we can't be too loud. We still have to be careful." Aragorn translated.

"Pretty much. The only places he goes are here," she gestured to the family room they were in, "the kitchen sometimes, bathroom, his work-den, and his bedroom. There are a few places you can stay where it's completely out of his way. But unless you all want to be squished together, you'll have to split up."

"What hours do we have to keep to?" Gandalf asked.

"What about meals?" Pippin queried.

"Hours-I'll try to guesstimate when he'll be home each day so you're not locked up from two till eight unless it's necessary, but today, I really don't know, so in fifteen minutes, you guys have to be settled. I can sneak around after ten to check on you after he's asleep, but from when he gets home till he leaves around five the next morning, you have to stay in one room, be careful about sneaking to the bathroom, and be quiet. During the day, it's just us, for now. I'll show you how to use the computers and phones. There's going to be a problem in two weeks, though."

"Why?" Aragorn asked.

"First, my birthday. It's my sweet sixteen, like a coming of age. We're having family over and going to a beach. Then I have a party with my friends that I can take you to that night. And I have practices every Monday at night...a parade the morning of my sweet sixteen, yeah that's a problem. We'll work something out. For now, we need to get you guys in rooms." She beckoned them upstairs as the phone rang.

"Silent!" she hissed as she grabbed it. "It's my dad." She pushed a button, and holding a finger to her lips, answered.

"Hello?"

"I'll be home late, around nine tonight. Don't wait up for me."

"Okay. Are you eating out?"

"Yes. 'Bye."

"Adieu." Melody muttered, hanging up.

"That's it?" Frodo asked in surprise.

Melody shrugged. "He's not talkative." Gandalf watched her worriedly. _I bet there's more to it than that._

"What about your mom?" Merry asked. "When does she get home?"

"Don't worry." Melody told him, ruffling his curls as she walked by. "C'mon."

No one had really left the main floor during their exploration, so the upstairs was new. "This is my room. Most likely, at any given time, unless one of you knows I'm somewhere else, I'll be in here." Melody said, nudging a door with her toe. The group behind her nodded.

"Someone can stay in here, maybe two, if one doesn't mind sleeping on the floor. I do laundry, so sheets and clothes getting washed won't be a problem. Once I get my license in two weeks I can drive to get stuff on my own. My dad doesn't really watch how much stuff we go through a week so he won't notice if it goes up a lil bit." More nods, although this was making less and less sense to everyone but Melody herself.

"That's where my dad sleeps. Stay out of there. This room shares a bathroom with mine, two people can go in here. I'm trying to keep more than one person together so you're not lonely or bored. I can leave games and stuff in each room and switch them out each day." Melody explained. "Four people can stay up here. I don't recommend hobbits because you're likely to be eating all the time and my dad will hear wrappers and stuff at night. You're best in the basement. He doesn't go down there much anymore either. Just in case, there's two rooms. You'll be in the back room, that's my space. He never goes in there."

"We can't invade your space like that." Frodo protested.

"Hun, since we moved here, I have too much space. I don't use it." Frodo ducked his head. They were all starting to notice that whenever certain subjects were brought up, she grew cold and distant. Namely, her family, especially her mother, and why she'd moved here. It was a big place, like for a rich or noble family, but they all suspected their money came from extra work her father put in instead of looking after his family. Maybe her mother had left him?

"Four upstairs, four hobbits downstairs, that leaves...one." Melody paused. "I suppose we could use the attic. That's mostly storage now, though."

"We can squeeze three people in a room, or five downstairs." Gandalf offered.

"Gandalf, you're like a scientist, right?"

"What is that?"

"You're the one most likely to discover a way back?"

"Yes." Melody paused and thought for a moment.

"All right. Come on. I need four people to stay up here, two people in each of those rooms I showed you. I'll distribute bags of clothes and stuff once I'm done."

"No need." Aragorn said quickly. "Legolas and I will share, we can move our stuff and help the others." Melody nodded.

"You two might like that one," she nodded at the one whose bathroom connected to hers. "You can get to my room from there if there's a problem without risk. You'd be able to see where I'm thinking of having Gandalf stay and might be able to communicate that way. There's also that balcony with the tree I thought Legolas might like. It'll give you a chance to get outside." she told him. He smiled in gratitude.

"The other two-Oh, since Gandalf's staying...that leaves one." Melody frowned.

"I'll be all right on my own." Boromir said quickly.

"Oh, Gimli's-you can work it out." Melody decided.

"I'll go with the hobbits." Gimli said quickly.

"Where there will be more food." Legolas teased. Gimli huffed indignantly. Melody shrugged.

"Suit yourselves. If you could move your stuff around, that'd be helpful. We can meet up in the family room-with the games" she added, seeing the looks on their faces, "when we're done." They all agreed, and separated ways.

"She went through a lot of consideration for your room." Aragorn whispered to Legolas.

"Elves go insane from being inside all the time." the elf retorted.

"How would she know?"

"She knows the stories."

Aragorn frowned. He didn't have a comeback for that one.

Gandalf ended up in a shed out in the back yard, and Melody promised to set up a sort of bedroom and kitchen area for him before her dad got home, leaving him to look around. She'd pointed out what needed to be left alone, and what was scrap metal and junk her dad wouldn't notice going missing or being messed with.

Melody went around afterwards distributing methods of entertainment. Food and quiet music for the hobbits and Gimli, and paper for Frodo to write on, journals and pens for Gandalf to make notes, as well as an old computer she'd dug up and promised to teach him to use. Apparently her father used to build computers and now they had plenty of extras.

Boromir asked for history books, much to everyone's surprise, and when he clarified, it made sense. Books on wars and kingdoms. Melody gave him some fantasy books, and since his room also had a TV, for guests, she lent him some movies as well. Aragorn and Legolas she gave paper and pens for the elf to write on, movies for their TV, and her younger brother's old laptop.

"If you have a brother, where is he?" Legolas asked.

"He lives somewhere else." Melody replied shortly.

"If you live with your parents, and he's younger..." Aragorn began, puzzled.

"He lives with his mom." Melody replied, tensing.

"Who is not your mother?" Legolas queried, astonished. Melody was shaking now, and the two males backed away slowly.

"Melody?"

"She's not." the teenage girl stormed out of the room.

Aragorn looked at Legolas. "Did that make sense to you?"

"None at all. But it upset her too much. Let us just be quiet and leave her alone for a bit."

Aragorn nodded. "Yes, good idea."


	10. Chapter 10: Wish Upon a Shooting Star

**A/N: Dedicated to silentmidnightdeath and LadyNostarielofMirkwood for beta'ing, and to all you lovely readers/reviewers/PM bugs out there! Lyrics are '2012 (It Ain't The End)' by a whole lot of people. Want to hear it: youtube search 'Lord of the Rings: PARTY!' Catchy tune ;D So now you know I didn't write it let's go!  
**

Welcome to Earth:

Chapter Ten: Wish Upon a Shooting Star:

They spent the rest of the day playing games together until about six-thirty. Melody even ordered pizza for them, and got Wynter to come around and give her a ride out to pick up drinks and dessert, leaving the Fellowship alone in her house, with Gandalf and Aragorn in charge.

"I'm surprised she didn't name you." Aragorn teased Legolas.

"She is upset."

"I think she's gotten over it. She's an easygoing girl." Aragorn sat up, propping himself on his elbow. "You feel guilty, don't you?"

"Whatever those memories we brought up are, they are painful. I helped cause her pain!" Legolas exclaimed. "Who would not be upset?"

"Calm down, princelet." Gimli interrupted. "She's not that upset. I'm sure people bring up those memories on accident daily, she can't remain mad at the world forever."

Legolas remained staring at the floor. Aragorn sighed. "He'll be all right." he told the others.

"If you're that upset, talk to her." Gandalf advised from his wall.

"You should bring the hobbits in." Aragorn told him. Melody had laid down a strict rule about not smoking around her or in her house. She'd explained that the smoke could trigger a fatal disease in her that ran in her family that had no cure. After that, they'd complied without complaint. Poor guests they would be if they triggered their host's death!

They all heard the door opening, and the hobbits raced to help with the food, bringing the bags in and setting them on the counter. Melody showed them what belonged where, and told them to wait for the pizza before eating. When they surrounded her with four pairs of big, pleading, childlike eyes, she gave in and set out some chips.

"Your grocery bill just went up about four thousand dollars." Wynter teased on her way out.

"You're not eating with us?" Gimli asked, looking downtrodden.

"No, I have a date."

"Good luck! Have fun! Call me if I need to beat him up!" Melody called from the kitchen.

"So you're willing to kill my boyfriend but not give me a hug?" Wynter called back. "I'm hurt!"

Melody laughed and came flying out to hug her best friend tightly. "Hurry, or he'll think you're not coming!" she teased. "Don't forget to check if you can sleep over tomorrow!"

"I'll text you after I get home, okay?" Wynter told her, giving her a more serious look. Melody nodded.

"Thanks, chica. Now go! Vas!" she laughed, closing the door before frowning. "I think 'vas' isn't the right command form, I think it's supposed to be 'va'." She shrugged. "Oh, well. No Spanish tests till August!"

"Another language?" Legolas asked curiously.

"Yep! This one I actually know more than a few random phrases and I can carry more than the simplest of conversations in. I can teach you if you want." she offered. He smiled.

"I would like that." he admitted softly.

"Later, then." Melody stepped forward. "All right! Back _away_ from the food! Sit! Usuwari!" More laughter ensued.

"Where are you learning that from?" Legolas asked.

"Anime."

"What?"

"I'll show you later. It's what I was watching while Aragorn and Boromir were having their wrestling match. My favorites are Naruto and Inuyasha." Legolas gave her a blank look. "I'll show you later, I promise! Now c'mon, aren't you hungry?" He nodded and followed her to the line of chaos inspired by food.

Melody reached over and turned on some music. "Oooooh...two, zero, one, two..."

Everyone stopped and turned to stare. Melody stopped singing. "Sorry."

"No, keep going!" Frodo encouraged. "You have a beautiful voice!" Melody winced. "It's true!"

"We're not letting you eat till you sing the rest of the song." Gimli threatened. Melody stuck her tongue out at him.

"Like a fool, we start a riot, be a red bull...Bottles poppin' till we can't stand, keep it rockin' till six am, New York to London over to Japan, turn it up, turn it up, we're gonna party like, party like, like it's the end of the world, we gonna party like, like it's two thousand and twelve!"

"Can I eat now?" Melody asked. "I'll sing more later if you want, but I'm hungry!"

"All right, lass." Gimli said, moving aside. Melody smiled, reaching for some pepperoni pizza. She gestured towards the salad and vegetarian pizza, nudging Legolas subtly. He smiled gratefully and filled his plate before moving to sit down.

Melody was already surrounded, so Legolas just sat nearby, listening to her random snatches of singing with a gentle smile.

By the time everyone finished eating, it was almost nine. Melody cleaned up quickly, kicked the men off the Xbox, turned it and the TV off, and sent everyone to their rooms. She brought snacks down to Gimli and the hobbits and ran out to check on Gandalf one last time. She'd spent two hours that afternoon teaching him how to use the computer-she'd gotten him several accounts so he could message her if it became necessary.

Her father stomped around downstairs for a bit, then came upstairs and went to bed without a word to his daughter. Legolas shot Aragorn a worried look, and they looked at the bathroom door. The light was on, meaning Melody was in there, and they probably shouldn't disturb her. As soon as the light went out, Legolas slipped through the bathroom to where the door to Melody's room let in a crack of light. She'd told them if it wasn't closed all the way, they could come through. Still, going into a woman's room at night both made him nervous and disgusted with himself.

He didn't have any wrong intentions, though, so it was all right. Wasn't it? She'd explicitly told them it was okay. Taking a deep breath, he nudged the door open all the way. She wasn't looking at him, and had headphones in, so she didn't notice his entrance, giving him a chance to look around.

The walls were partially painted pink, partially a gentle cream color. Any patch of remaining pink wall was covered by posters and drawings. Legolas guessed Melody didn't like pink too much. The bed had a bright comforter across it, a deep shade of red with a bird outlined in gold. The same sort of bird was pictured in many of the drawings, which Legolas assumed Melody had done herself. She was quite the little artist, apparently. A couple sheets simply had words written on them, and the words themselves were fancy and embellished with patterns and drawings in, on, and around the words. Music pulsed softly through the room, and Legolas recognized the song from dinner.

The floor was hardwood, with a soft red rug in the middle. Boxes were stacked everywhere with notebooks and clothes spilling out all over the floor. A few strange instruments stood in a corner, surrounded by what looked like a form of sheet music. The long silver rod he recognized as some kind of flute, while the other looked like an large fiddle to him. Almost, but not quite.

Melody had changed clothes, now wearing a skimpy low-cut tank top and short shorts, with her hair up and off her neck. The light on the ceiling had something spinning around it, circulating the air so it felt cooler. Her windows were open as well.

Legolas stepped closer to the wall, noticing some pictures stacked on a shelf. Some he recognized as Melody, others were probably of her when she was younger. Some pictured a family of four, a father, mother, daughter, and son. There was a dog and one of three cats in some of them. Others pictured Wynter or Bri or any of Melody's friends. Some pictured Melody with different boys, those made him wonder.

The one on the shelf above her bed, which was tucked into a corner by the window drew his attention the most. It was of a young woman with dark, curly hair and dark eyes. Something in her expression, face, and smile reminded him of Melody. She looked so kind and caring. It was plain from the location that this person was very dear to Melody. _Could it be...?_

"That's my mom." Legolas jumped.

"I am sorry, I did not mean-"

"It's okay. It's a new world, everything's different. Looking around, well, I would, too. C'mere." she grabbed his hand, pulling him over to the rest of the pictures. "These are of me growing up. This is Shell, Kelly, Liz, and me when we went skiing. This one's Shay and me when we were three. That's us and her sister Briana. This is Jay, his real name's Anthony James, but no one calls him that, just AJ. That's my cousin Kev, that's his brother Matt and their sister Kait. That's my mom's sister, my aunt. That's my other aunt, my dad's sister. That's my dad, my mom, and me. That's Ty-my younger brother, my dad, and his mom. Those are my cousins on my mom's side, these two are on my dad's side. That's KC, my cousins' cat. She's adorable. She likes sleeping on me when I stay at their house. This is Bri's cat, you met him. He likes sleeping on me too. I want a kitten of my own. I love cats. These three were my stepmoms. We lost the last one recently. That's our dog, Sierra."

Legolas' head was swimming from all the information. "What about them?" he pointed to the ones showing her with various boys.

"Boyfriends." Melody said carelessly. "First through most recent." she gestured in the direction she meant before tugging him away. "Those I drew, don't laugh, I know, they're not great. This...I don't remember." she frowned. "I got a bunch of old stuff moved into my stuff that I don't remember when we moved." she lifted the plaque carefully. "Oh, this is apparently my handprints when I was two." she examined them, then held up her hands. "Bit smaller."

Legolas laughed. "You have a large family." Melody nodded.

"We don't all stay in touch, but some of us do."

Aragorn poked his head in. "Is your dad asleep?" Melody nodded.

"He hasn't come in yet, so yes. You should probably sleep too, though." she turned to Legolas. "Did you need something before I went distracted on you?"

"No, not really." he replied, not wanting to upset her again, although he'd really come to ask about why she'd been upset in the first place. She smiled.

"It'll be okay. You'll see. Now go get some sleep!"

"Yes, ma'am." Aragorn said smartly, with a smirk. Melody grabbed a black rod from next to her flute and went after him with it, pretending to cut his head in half until Legoals wrapped his arms around her.

"Flee!" he told Aragorn, who disappeared through the bathroom.

"'Night, Mel!" Melody giggled, backing up into Legolas on accident. He steadied her, then moved around her to the door.

"Good night, Melody."

"'Night, Legolas. Ja-ne!" she waved as she turned to her bed.

"Wait, what-?"

"'See you later'."

"Ja...ne?" he tried, and she smiled.

"Yep! Now shoo!"

Smiling, Legolas slipped back into his and Aragorn's room to find that his few seconds in Melody's room had earned him a night on the floor. He chucked a pillow crossly at Aragorn and lay down.

_He's more amazing in real life._ Melody glanced at the poster of Orlando Bloom as Legolas that had been hidden behind the door. _I might have to hide that. Showing preference will not end well._

_ She is beautiful and fun. Maybe Aragorn is right. But it is impossible. No matter how much I wish things were different, we cannot be._ Legolas rolled over to look out the window, instinctively searching for the stars. _If only...things were different. I wish..._ a shooting star blazed past their windows, lighting up both Melody's and Legolas' faces.

_I wish we could be._


	11. Chapter 11: Breakfast: Who Knew?

**A/N: Thanks to my beta silentmidnightdeath for beta'ing and to all you readers/reviewers/PM bugs out there! Chapter dedicated to Archet for her suggestion on more hobbit involvement! :D  
**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Eleven: Breakfast-Who Knew?

Sam shot to his feet, dagger at the ready, before he remembered where he was. Looking around, he spotted Gimli serving as Merry and Pippin's pillow, but Frodo was nowhere to be seen. He poked his head out of the room to see Frodo coming down the stairs.

"What time is it?" he whispered.

"Seven, I think." Frodo replied. "Melody's dad's gone, but she's still asleep."

"What about the others?" Frodo shrugged.

"Don't know."

"Can we leave?" Sam asked.

"I reckon so." Frodo guessed, leading the way back up the stairs.

"I'm starving!" Pippin moaned behind them.

"Then get up and we'll get breakfast." Frodo told him.

"Is that wise?" Merry asked. "Do you know how to work anything around here?"

"Melody used most of it last night. How hard can it be? I asked her to explain it to me, anyway, and she did." Frodo explained. "And fruit's not too hard, no matter what world you're in!"

"True." Merry conceded, getting up and pulling Pippin with him. They went upstairs, and Frodo set about plugging in the coffee machine. Lots of Melody's 'explanations' had involved 'it just does, I don't know why. But this is what you do'." And it worked, so he didn't complain.

Soon after, all four hobbits had coffee and a bowl of fruit to share while Frodo set about warming up sausages and set out some eggs for Sam to work with after setting up the stove. He popped toast in the toaster while Merry and Pippin watched with wide eyes.

The smell of coffee brought Gimli up from the basement, and Gandalf from the shed. Legolas leapt out of a tree in the backyard and knocked to be let in. Aragorn came down the stairs, shaking his head.

"She's still asleep."

"She sleeps too much!" Gimli exclaimed.

"She is probably exhausted. She has been looking after all nine of us for a while now." Legolas said quietly. "Mostly on her own."

The dwarf fell silent. "That's why we're making breakfast." Frodo explained. "To make it easier for her." Legolas smiled. Hobbits-always so caring and kind.

Boromir stumbled down the stairs and Gandalf poured him some coffee. "Good thing Melody picked some up yesterday."

"It is." Boromir agreed, downing the cup in one.

"We may have to limit how much we drink." Frodo said worriedly.

Ten minutes later, the table was set. Bacon, eggs, cinnamon rolls that Frodo had found and sampled, toast, coffee, and fruit.

"Who will go wake Melody?" Sam wondered.

"I will." Legolas said quietly, not liking the idea of anyone else going into her room. Especially not with the look Boromir had in his eye. Aragorn smiled at his friend.

Legolas climbed back up the tree, leaving the hobbits to wonder why he didn't just use the perfectly good stairs that were in fact, closer to the kitchen than the tree, and Aragorn just shook his head at them. "He's an elf. That's why."

Once back inside his and Aragorn's room, Legolas crossed to Melody's through the bathroom, knocking quietly since her father had already left. No answer. He nudged open the door to find her gone.

At the same time, the front door opened. Everyone froze. Aragorn ushered everyone into hiding places while Legolas grabbed his bow and quiver before sliding along the hallway to the stairs. To his shock, he met Melody face-to-face with his arrow pointed at her throat as she came up the stairs, pulling out her headphones.

"Whoa, easy." she whispered soothingly, raising her hands, eyes wide in alarm. "Just me. Okay? I'm not a threat."

Legolas lowered the arrow in relief. "Where were you?"

"Out. Running." She looked exhauseted. She was shaking just from the effort of standing, and sweat soaked her tank top and shorts, covering her entire body in a glossy sheen. Her hair had turned dark and curly-_like her mother's_-and clung to her face and neck.

"You look tireder than you did before bed." Melody smiled.

"It makes me stronger. I'm going to go shower. By the way, what smells good?"

"The hobbits made breakfast for you. You may wish to hurry before it disappears." Legolas teased.

"Hai, hai! They're so sweet! I'll be right there!" Melody told him, rushing into her room and closing the door. Less than a minute later, he heard water running.

Legolas climbed back down the tree and knocked on the back door to be let in. Gimli opened it, grumbling about how the elf didn't even try to blend in.

"She is bathing." Legolas informed them. "She was out running."

"Running? This early?" Gandalf asked in surprise. Legolas nodded. "Why?" The elf shrugged.

"She said it makes her stronger."

"She really should be a soldier." Aragorn commented, going outside with his pipe.

Soon after, Melody came down dressed in a tight t-shirt and short shorts. "Thank you, hobbits." she said, smiling at each of them. "That was very sweet, to make breakfast."

Frodo blushed. "It was his idea!" Pippin cried, pointing at the perpetrator.

"Thank you, Frodo." Melody kissed the top of his head gently.

"I-It was nothing. You've been looking after us, and, I wanted to make it easier." Frodo admitted, blushing again.

"It's not that hard." Melody told them, helping herself. The others followed her example, Legolas standing beside her for a moment until she told him to sit before she forced him into a chair. Aragorn smirked at his friend, who looked rather shocked. Melody saw the look on the elf's face and laughed. "I didn't mean to scare you. I wouldn't hurt you, just, standing behind me like that makes me nervous." Legolas nodded, smiling back. It was hard not to.

Breakfast was a merry affair. Afterwards, Frodo and Sam cleaned up while Aragorn and Boromir fought over the Xbox again. Gandalf disappeared into his shed, and the hobbits remained gathered around the table with Gimli. That left Legolas and Melody.

"Well...what do you do all day?" Legolas asked curiously.

"Write. Draw. Sleep. Talk to people. Go out with friends. Practice. Et cetera." Melody replied, stretching with a yawn. Then she glanced curiously over at Legolas.

"What do you normally do?" he smirked.

"Travel. Travel some more. Run into some Orcs, slay them to rescue whichever hobbit gets captured. Worry about the fate of my world. Travel some more. Keep watch while the others sleep, including the watch himself. Travel some more." he paused. "That's about it."

Melody laughed. She had a light, musical laugh. The elf liked it. "You actually have a sense of humor!" she giggled. "Yay!" she grabbed his hand. "Come on."

Legolas followed her silently as she pulled him outside. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, something the Fellowship had gotten very used to already.

"Wynter?" Legolas asked.

"Yep." Melody was already texting back.

"Is she coming?"

"She's bringing Bri, Toria, and Ruby."

"Who?"

"You know Bri. Toria and Ruby are the two who took the hobbits shopping. They're sisters."

"Oh. That makes sense." he paused. "Do they all believe this?"

Melody laughed. "Hun, I don't believe this! I just play along!" Legolas looked up, shocked.

Melody shook her head. "You lot may be used to magic and the impossible, but we're not! This isn't in our list of 'we were taught this is possible'. In fact, we've been taught that it's impossible since we were old enough to understand the word 'impossible'!"

"So you don't believe in us?" Legolas asked, worried. Melody paused, then frowned.

"No, some part of me does. You're lucky. I'm the girl who still believes in Atlantis and some forms of magic at age sixteen. Most people would have had you arrested." Legolas winced. They hadn't done anything wrong!

Melody saw his reaction and gently touched his shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Don't worry. We're not going to risk your lives, whether we really believe you're here or not." she looked at the sky, smiling. "I've always believed in other worlds, in my own way. But I never thought I'd be involved in them mixing."

Legolas gave her a curious look. She shook her head. "You'll understand when you've met some more people."

"Hey!" called a familiar voice. Legolas looked up. Melody hadn't heard, his elven hearing picked it up before her mortal ears did.

"They're here." he stated calmly, pulling Melody off the driveway.


	12. Chapter 12: Soap and Splash!

**A/N: Thanks to my betas silentmidnightdeath and LadyNostarielofMirkwood for looking this over! Dedicated to dandapanda and Ms. Underhill for reviewing! :D Also, if you're interested, I have another LotR fic where Melody goes to Middle Earth. Same character, different story. Please check it out and let me know what you think! Now...  
**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Twelve: Soap and Splash!:

Squeals filled the air as six girls reunited after less than twenty-four hours. The two sisters rushed inside to find the hobbits, and Bri went off in search of Aragorn, trying to stay subtle. Wynter and Melody both laughed at her attempts and loudly told her to look by the Xbox.

Legolas stood off to the side and watched. Melody slipped inside with Wynter and turned on some new music.

"Hungry eyes..." she chorused with the song, softly, like she didn't realize she was singing out loud.

"You wish!" Wynter teased, as the singer proclaimed,

"This love was meant to be!"

"Ooooh..." Melody smacked her friend and stomped off.

Legolas shook his head slightly at their antics, but smiled nonetheless. It was clear to all who saw them that they'd been together for a while, were close friends, and cared deeply about each other. Maybe not in a romantic sense, no, but almost as sisters, despite their obvious differences.

"All right, people, listen up!" Melody called.

"You all need baths." Wynter stated calmly, strolling past her friend and grabbing a brownie.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious."

"'Welcome, Mel." Melody huffed, then turned back to the majority of the group.

"How do you expect to show them how to work a shower? They're all guys."

Melody rolled her eyes. "Shut up and listen." Wynter complied, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"Come with me!" Melody told them, leading everyone upstairs.

"Okay, this" Melody shoved back a curtain. "is a shower." She explained the difference between shower and bath, and most of the members of the Fellowship currently gathered preferred bath. She explained the difference between shampoo and conditioner to the best of her ability, and laid out soaps, shampoo, conditioner, and towels in each bathroom.

Each got in line with a stack of their clean clothes while Melody went to find the rest. She didn't bother Aragorn and Bri, but did pull Gandalf's head out of his journal.

Then the screaming started. "It's HOT!"

"What are you talking about? It's COOOLD!"

"Oh. My. God." Melody muttered, racing inside. Bri looked up from her perch on the deck with Aragorn.

"Need some help?" she called.

"Yes, please! Where'd the others go?" Melody yelled back.

"Park." Bri informed her, as if it didn't matter. Melody stood there with her mouth hanging open.

"You serious? They came over here to ogle like my house is a zoo, got bored, and went to the park?"

"They're not ogling, and it's not a zoo. Other than that, yes."

Melody shook her head. "Then they were ogling, and it is a zoo." Bri just sighed.

"What are you torturing them with now?"

"Showers." Bri quickly backtracked.

"Um, Mel, they're all guys."

"No one else is going to tell them which way's hot and which way's cold. I'm not going in!" Melody snapped. Bri hesitated, then went back outside.

"What was that all about?" Aragorn asked, concerned.

"Showers. Baths." Bri clarified, seeing the puzzled look on his face. Aragorn smiled and stood. They could hear Melody screaming something about right and left, then she came back outside and saw Aragorn.

"Might as well sit back down, there's a line." she told him. He smiled, amused, and nodded, sitting back down beside Bri. Melody shot her a friend a smirk, then trotted off and climbed into her tree.

"You remind me of an elf." Aragorn commented, smiling. "Legolas has yet to use the stairs besides you little tour."

"So he uses my tree?" Melody asked, poking her head out of the leaves. Her hair was a sharp contrast against the emerald leaves, especially as the sun caught it.

"Is that wrong?" came the elf in question's voice from above her. Melody jumped and looked up, as a drop of water hit her squarely on the nose.

"That was quick."

"Elves are nothing if not swift." Aragorn reminded her. Melody tilted her head, then laughed.

"True. You could have dried your hair, you know!" she called. "Instead of dripping on me! I've already showered today!"

Aragorn, Bri, and Legolas laughed at her little outburst. "That is why I came outside." Legolas teased, still laughing softly.

"Ever heard of a towel, if not a hair dryer?" Legolas gave her a bemused look.

"Of course I have heard of towels."

"Then use it!" A loud crash inside the house redirected everyone's attention rather quickly. "What the-" Melody paled and ran inside. "STOP BREAKING MY HOUSE!"

"He has my clothes, little imp!" Boromir called, racing after Pippin.

"Of all the-Pip, give him his clothes back so he can get dressed!" Melody yelled, stepping between them. "Pippin, give them to me!"

"He took my apple!" Melody gave him a Look.

"So you subject the rest of us to him being clothes-less?"

"He's wearing a towel!" Aragorn snorted from behind Melody.

"Mel?" Legolas whispered in her ear. "I would not recommend turning around." Melody blushed.

"Boromir, I swear to God, PUT THE TOWEL ON!"

"Merry took it!" the warrior protested, sounding beyond embarrassed and more than a little apologetic. Melody buried her face in her hands.

"Oh, God..." she moaned. Legolas put his hands on her shoulders, stifling a laugh.

"What's going on?" Bri asked, trying to shove her way inside. Aragorn swiftly covered her eyes.

"Don't look. Why don't you go back outside? We'll take care of things in here." Legolas glanced at his friend. He'd noticed the rest of the Fellowship slipping easily into the girls' slang. It proved harder for him though, elf that he was. It made everyone else sound relaxed and friendly. And made him wonder how it made him sound. _Probably stuck-up._ He sighed.

"Um, Legolas?" Melody asked quietly. She was trembling slightly. "I can't see anything. Namely, I can't move."

"This way." he told her, tugging her gently backwards. He led her outside after Aragorn and Bri.

"All right, break it up!" Gimli called, grabbing Merry and taking the towel from him. Boromir had run off to hide in a bathroom until someone returned his clothes. Nevertheless, Legolas and Aragorn felt it safer to keep the girls outside. Aragorn led Bri over to a pool set into the deck, while Legolas pulled Melody back up into the tree, keeping a hand on her back whenever possible to steady her.

"Hey, I've climbed trees before. I'm okay." Melody scolded gently when she noticed. "You're making me nervous!"

"Sorry." he murmured, climbing up beside her. She smiled, sunlight falling through the leaves and making her hair glow again. This time, it reflected in her eyes too, turning them a deep, mysterious amber. Legolas just gazed at her until she leaned away and waved a hand in his face.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yes."

She narrowed her eyes. "You're giving me a weird look."

"Sorry." he didn't offer an explanation as to why, and she didn't ask.

Aragorn sat in the grass by the pool, stretching out in the sunlight and closing his eyes.

"You didn't get any time to relax back there, did you?" Bri asked curiously, sitting next to him. _Oh my God, he's so cuuuute!_

"No." Aragorn took a deep, contented breath. "We didn't. It feels nice. But I can't help but wonder if by coming here, have we failed our world?"

Bri shrugged. "I don't know. Gandalf's trying to get you guys back, so I wouldn't worry. Enjoy your time off, then worry. Or don't worry at all, that's even better."

Aragorn smiled at her, cracking open one eye to see where she was before he shoved her in the pool.

"Hey!" Bri yelled, bobbing to the surface. She could hear Legolas and Melody laughing from up in their tree. "Shut up, you two!"

Melody giggled, crawling out along a branch over the pool to call down to her friend "Cooled off yet?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bri shrieked indignantly.

"Things were getting too hot for you, huh?"

"MELODY!" By this point, Melody was laughing so hard she almost slipped, and Legolas reached out to steady her.

"Mel-" he warned, too late. She fell, and dragged him down with her. Aragorn just sat there staring for a moment, then started laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. Tears ran down his cheeks and his chest cramped horribly. Gandalf came outside to see what the fuss was all about and shook his head.

"Young fools." he muttered.

"I believe I am older than you!" Legolas called, splashing his way to the edge. Bri and Melody had started a splash war, and he was drenched all over again. "I came outside to _dry off_." he told Melody, who just giggled.

"Ooops!" Bri pulled her under, and she choked, coughing and spluttering and she fought her way back up. "BRI!"

"What?"

"Just cause I now have a pool doesn't mean I magically learned to swim!"

"You can't swim?" Legolas and Aragorn chorused in disbelief.

Melody eyed them nervously. "Is that bad?"

"Very." Legolas told her, eyes wide and worried.

"...you gonna kill me now?"

"What?" Legolas stood there with his mouth open as Melody splashed her way over...and got him in the face. Bri jumped up from under him and pulled him in. Aragorn tried to rescue his friend only to be tackled by Bri as well and join the drenched trio in the pool.

All four hobbits came out and stared at them.

"It's too hot." Sam commented.

"It's driven them all mad!" Frodo agreed.

"What fool jumps in a pond?" Pippin asked, confused.


	13. Chapter 13: Just My Luck

**A/N: Thanks to my beta LadyNostarielofMirkwood for going over this one too! Dedicated to Archet and Ms. Underhill for suggestions, and to dandapanda for reviewing! :D  
**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Thirteen: Just My Luck:

Splashing and shrieking filled the air as the elf surfaced, then quickly ducked under the water again to avoid the struggling trio. Smirking to himself, he swam under them and pulled Aragorn down to the bottom. Bri came after him, and Melody twisted elegantly under the water before swimming to the edge. She could swim, why had she said she couldn't? _Maybe because she was never taught?_

Legolas let Aragorn go, passing Bri on his way up, she on her way down. For some reason that made him want to laugh. He surfaced quietly and glided up behind her as she clung to the wall. Gandalf looked up from where he sat on the grass nearby with his journal and smiled. Melody tilted her head back, looking up at the sky, and Legolas paused, hearing her soft sigh of content. For now, he was happy just to be with her.

Aragorn swam up and crashed into Bri underwater, both trying to apologize before realizing they couldn't breathe. They surfaced loudly, and Melody turned. _Just my luck! _Legolas slipped under the surface again and grabbed Melody's waist. He heard her yelp even through the water as he pulled her under with him, making sure she had enough warning to hold her breath. She didn't struggle much, just looked at him as if asking, _okay, what now?_ He didn't have an answer, just pulled her out towards the middle of the pool. She followed easily, gliding along beside him even after he let go of her.

Once they reached the middle, they waited for Bri and Aragorn to move before Legolas grabbed her and pointed up. She looked up and smiled. The way the water distorted the sky and tree above them looked amazing. She started floating up, and tried to swim down on her back, which made it hard for Legolas to hold his breath and not laugh, but he just grabbed her again and held her against his chest, effortlessly keeping them in place.

_Oh my God...he's..._Melody couldn't even finish the thought, she felt so giddy.

Above water, Bri nudged Aragorn, pointing back into the pool. "Look." He looked, and smiled.

"I swear, she's part elf." Bri laughed.

"Me, too."

"I know!" Melody called. "Let's dry off and watch a movie!"

"What movie?" Bri asked. Melody smirked.

"Let's just say I made my dad buy me a new one."

"Titanic?"

"No, that's not on sale till September. Don't know why." Melody shrugged.

"No way!" Bri's eyes widened. "Your dad got you Braveheart?"

Melody's smirk was the only answer anyone got.

"Sounds interesting." Aragorn said. Melody smiled.

"He said it's good for me since it's part of my heritage."

"What? I thought you were Irish."

"I'm not just Irish, hun. I'm part Scottish, too."

"Really?" Melody rolled her eyes.

"Irish, Scottish, British, Polish, American, and that's all I know. Nothing interesting like say, Japanese or Mayan or Aztecan. Boring old European. Not even French or Spanish!"

They went upstairs to change, Melody putting their wet and dirty clothes in the wash, and blow-drying everyone's hair for them. Legolas went last, nervous for some reason he couldn't identify.

"Chill. It won't ruin your hair as long as you wash it to get the chlorine out."

_That is not what I am worried about._

He had to admit it did feel nice. The warm air helped him relax and made him sleepy, and her touch was soft and gentle. She knelt behind him, carefully working out tangles with a comb and her fingers.

"Hey Mel!" Bri's voice echoed. "You have another hair dryer?"

"Yeah, other bathroom!" Melody called back.

Bri did Aragorn's hair for him, although his was short enough not to stay wet for long. In return, he dried hers, both of them laughing at the sheer silliness of it. Legolas with his elven hearing could hear them, and so offered to dry Melody's for her. She gave him a strange look but let him, figuring he might as well learn to do it on his own.

She almost fell asleep. He had to catch her as she leaned back, laughing softly. "Does heat make you tired, too?" he asked, amused.

"Mmmm." she mumbled against his chest. He laughed quietly, taking that as a yes.

"What about the movie?"

"What movie?"

Legolas moved away, startling her into wakefulness. "Remember now?" Melody glared at him.

"No." she said stubbornly, picking herself up off the floor and stalking off. Legolas stared after her, feeling lost. He could still feel her leaning against him, and missed it. He shook his head, chasing those thoughts away, and followed her downstairs.

Bri dragged Aragorn downstairs, laughing the whole way. They seemed happy enough around each other. _Why is it that I always upset Melody? I just want to see her smile._

"Where's Mel?" Aragorn asked him. Legolas jumped.

"She went downstairs already."

"Awww." Bri said sympathetically. "She's having a hard time right now. Don't take it personally." Both man and elf gazed curiously at her. Bri just shook her head. "I can't tell you. The only one who can is Mel herself. And she won't want you to worry."

"Well, now we're worried." Aragorn stated, rolling his eyes. Bri shrugged.

"You can ask her, but don't expect her to be happy about it. She might tell him." she indicated Legolas. He looked away. "What's wrong?"

"She would not."

"How do you know? Is she mad at you again?" When he nodded, Bri stared at him for a moment, stopping in the middle of the stairs. "Are you serious? What did you _do_?" Legolas didn't answer.

Bri paused. "Hey, Legolas. C'mere." He stopped at the bottom, looking back up at her. "Moment of truth."

"What?" Aragorn questioned, puzzled.

"Elf only. Sorry!" Bri told him, shooing him away. She beckoned to Legolas, pulling him aside. "Mel, wait a sec!"

"Hurry up then!" Melody yelled back.

"Legolas...I see what you're doing, I know what you're thinking." Legolas jumped, staring at her with a frightened look in his eyes. "Not like that!" Bri said quickly, holding up her hands. "It's just...we go through relationships a lot. We can see it when people care for each other. I see you around Melody, and it's the only time I see you happy. And that's okay. You make her happy too. Just...stop fighting it so hard. Half our relationships don't work out, to be honest. Only one will. Most people don't even find that one. So don't worry about it. Worry about it when it becomes a problem, not a second before. Pushing her away like this, you're hurting her. That's why she's always mad at you. She likes you and wants to be around you. Let her. I shouldn't tell you this, but..." Bri took a deep breath.

"If you should not, then do not." Legolas told her firmly. Bri shook her head.

"You need to know. Because males are blind and can't see when a female's in pain. Don't care what race they are." Legolas looked affronted. "Listen, elf. Mel's cried herself to sleep most of her life. Her family's just fallen apart-again. She puts on a cheerful mask in public, but around you, it's not a mask. It's real. It's good for her. It will help her heal. She's been hurt pretty badly. We all have. Our world's not perfect. We're doing our best, and to be honest, I'm surprised she's held it together this long. She's relying on you for comfort and happiness. Don't let her down. Please. She's one of my best friends, like a sister to me. I can't stand seeing her hurt like this."

The heartfelt plea touched the elf's heart, and he realized it was true. Everything they had seen to do with Melody's family had caused her pain. Same with Wynter. The girl never mentioned her parents. He looked away. "We cannot be. She is mortal and I am not. We do not belong here."

"Things have a way of working out the way they should in the end. Trust in that, if nothing else. Trust in yourself, in her, in both of you. You're good for each other. You don't see me worrying about Aragorn being a king, do you? So just let it go. Now c'mon, movie time. Just promise to think about it, okay?"

Legolas nodded. "I promise." Bri smiled, and tugged him into the family room.

"There you are!" Melody cried. "Popcorn!"she offered Legolas a big blue bowl full. He smiled cautiously and sat next to her. She set the bowl in his lap, taking a handful before pressing 'play'. They'd closed the curtains so that it was dark in the room.

Legolas loved the movie. Some parts surprised him that they would bloody gore like that on a screen for anyone to see. Or such intimate scenes...that made him blush. At that part, he glanced at Melody to find her determinedly looking away from the screen and him. He could tell she was blushing too.

"Mel," he whispered.

"Hm?" She glanced up. "This part's not long. I like the end best." This puzzled him, as he couldn't quite figure out how the two thoughts were related. He shook his head, deciding to puzzle it out later.

"I am sorry." Melody blinked at him for a few seconds.

"Okay." She paused. "For what?"

"For..." Legolas paused, not sure he wanted to say it. Melody smiled, and he knew she understood, that she'd already forgiven him.

He smiled, moving the popcorn aside and slipping his arm around her shoulders. Her smile grew even bigger and she curled up against his side, head on his shoulder. He reached around her and twined his fingers with hers, not caring anymore what anyone thought.

Bri nudged Aragorn and tilted her head in their direction. "They're so sweet." she whispered. Legolas looked up. "Damn elvish hearing." He smiled.

"Shhh." the final crescendo burst into a triumphant chorus, and Melody sat up, radiating joy and happiness. Legolas knew this was her favorite part, and immediately understood why. She was the kind of person to keep going, keep fighting for what she believed in. She might not believe in herself, but she placed her belief in others, and that everyone deserved freedom. She could relate to the people in the movie at that moment, feel like one of them, like part of their victory. And that was an amazing feeling.

He smiled, knowing that whatever happened, she wouldn't back away. She wouldn't leave him when things got dangerous. She'd stand by his side even if Sauron himself came and threatened her. Unlike the others that his father had wanted him to marry, who wouldn't understand why he defended humans in the first place.

Bri curled up, back against Aragorn's chest. "'Night." she whispered. Aragorn laughed and poked her teasingly.

"It's still afternoon."

"So? I'm tired. So it's nighttime." Aragorn shook his head, but didn't protest. _Just my luck._

Once the credits started, Melody curled back up against Legolas' side, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, just enjoying being next to him. The others were still awestruck by the deep impact of the movie on all of them. Legolas wrapped both arms around Melody, practically pulling her into his lap. He didn't want to let go. Ever. He didn't even care when he realized he didn't just like her, that he loved her, he didn't know how he'd fallen in love so soon, but he didn't even care. It didn't make sense, but it was there. _Just my luck._ He rested his chin on her head, enjoying the moment of peace.

Bri and Melody looked at each other, both thinking the exact same thing. _I'm the luckiest girl in __the world._


	14. Chapter 14: Gandalf's Theory

**A/N: Dedicated to my beta LadyNostarielofMirkwood and to my reviewers AvengedSevenfoldLover, Archet, Cetacea-of-Time, and dandapanda! :D**

Welcome to Earth:

Chapter Fourteen: Gandalf's Theory and Pending Danger:

The last of the credits rolled across the screen, and the menu came back up. Melody tossed the controller to Bri, who turned everything off and opened the windows.

Gandalf calmly strolled inside to find Bri curling back up on Aragorn's lap, and Melody practically asleep in Legolas' arms, while everyone else stood and stretched, discussing the movie in relation to their predicament back in Middle-Earth.

"I have a theory." Gandalf announced dramatically. All movement and conversation stopped. Even Aragorn and Legolas looked up at him expectantly.

Wynter yelped as Gimli leaned against her, and Melody looked over sleepily. "Oh, you guys are back."

"Yeah, we've been back!" Toria exclaimed.

"Ooops. Didn't notice." Bri teased, laughing. Aragorn smiled at her, then turned back to Gandalf, who looked at Melody.

"What is the closest your world has to an elf?" All five girls looked at each other.

"Well...I want to say Irish people...cause they're musical and graceful and believe most in magic." Ruby offered. The other four nodded.

"Sounds good. So, Irish people. Why?" Melody answered, giving Gandalf a puzzled look. He nodded.

"And you are Irish, correct?"

"Well, some of my ancestors were, but definitely not close relations. So, a very small part."

"But you still have your world's elven blood in you."

"Not much. But yes."

"That is how you pulled us into your world. You say you appealed to the Valar?"

"It was a JOKE!"

"They would not have recognized it as such."

"And I was asking the stupid thing to play the movie, not transport nine people across the universe!"

Gandalf paused. He hadn't considered that. Then he shook his head. "The Valar may not have known what you meant and simply sent us to help you with whatever you needed. Regardless, your power brought us here."

"I don't have any power."

"You have some."

"If I did, my life wouldn't suck this badly!" the Fellowship turned to stare at her. She'd stood up to glare at Gandalf, and now stalked out of the room. A few moments later, they heard a door slam.

Legolas stood, but Wynter grabbed his arm. "Don't. She needs to be alone right now." she told him, glaring at Gandalf.

"Next time choose your words more carefully or we will hurt you." Bri threatened, standing up. "She's in enough pain already, and all she's done is help you ungrateful people! You haven't noticed that she's always alone? She's hurting! Leave her alone!" she turned to Wynter and the others. "Let's go."

"We can't leave them alone in her house!" Toria exclaimed.

"I'll watch over them." Wynter said quietly. "Ruby, you can drive Bri home." The others agreed and left. Wynter turned to Gandalf. "I understand you want to go home. I understand that your world is in trouble. But if you cannot see past that to the emotions of others, then you are no better than Sauron." the hobbits gasped, shocked. "If you can not read how your words will affect others, and only forge ahead to get what you want, regardless of how you treat others, how can you be sure you are meant to save the world? Maybe Sauron would have been more caring towards Mel. Maybe he would have considered her feeling first."

"I didn't say anything!" Gandalf protested. "I just said she had power!"

Legolas looked at the ground. "And yet...she is right. If she did, people would pay her more attention. As it is, her own father ignores her. Her mother, we know nothing of. How can we be sure of anything?" he asked quietly. He stood. "I for one, would rather stay here forever than harm any of these girls like that again."

"I agree." Aragorn said, standing beside his friend.

"Aye." Gimli joined them with a sidelong glance at Wynter, who looked shocked at the proceedings.

Each of the hobbits nodded slowly. "Poor Mel." Pippin whispered. Frodo stood. "We should have been more careful. We've seen signs of what has happened to her. What Gandalf said was thoughtless, but not intentionally harmful."

"All of you are simply overreacting!" Boromir cried. "Getting home should be our first priority! If she cannot handle the pain that comes with it, we should find someone who can!"

Sam jumped up. "Listen to yourself!" he cried. As he stood, he accidentally stepped on the remmote, turning the TV on. An emergency newsflash appeared on the screen.

"Uh, guys...we may have a problem." Wynter commented, having been the first to see the screen. "I don't think Sauron's destroying your world anymore." They all turned to face the screen.

"A new phenomenon has occurred here in Tokyo. At the top of the Tokyo Skytree, the tallest tower in the world, a ball of flame suddenly appeared late last night. No scientists have come up with a theory as to what this is or why it has appeared..."

"Oh, no." Frodo whispered.

"He's following the Ring!" Gandalf cried. Frodo funbled under his shirt.

"I haven't felt any evil from it since we got here!" he said desperately, his voice and expression pleading for someone, anyone to tell him he was wrong, this wasn't happening.

"Dark creatures march across Saudi Arabia, searching for something, but we have yet to find out what. The US, among other countries, has sent out armed forces to meet them. Alongside diplomatic solutions, the world must be prepared for war. An army of this size can not be taken lightly..."

"It's happening, Mr. Frodo." Sam told his friend quietly. "It's already happened."

"What now?" Aragorn asked. "We must fight back!"

"Mel." Wynter whispered. "Somehow, she's involved in this! And she just left!"

Legolas flew out the door before anyone could say anything more. The rest of the group simply stood in the middle of the room, trying to comprehend all the information that had just been thrown at them. They'd gone from playing around and flirting to facing World War Three. Except this war was the world against a fiction villain.


	15. Chapter 15: Confessions

**A/N: Thanks to my beta LadyNostarielofMirkwood for beta'ing! Also dedicated to my loyal reviewer dandapanda! :D  
**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Fifteen: Confessions:

Legolas ran all over the area before finally returning to Melody's house. If Wynter hadn't explained their address system he would never have found his way back. It had grown late, and he couldn't tell if her father was home or not, so he climbed the fence into the back yard and climbed up his tree. Aragorn sat on the bed watching a movie quietly.

"Is her father home?" Legolas whispered, and Aragorn nodded without looking up.

"Did you find her?" Legolas shook his head.

"Has her father noticed she is not here?" Aragorn shook his head grimly, this time looking up.

"Something here is horribly wrong." he voiced the concern in his eyes. Legolas frowned. He tiptoed through the bathroom to Melody's room. The door was closed, indicating no one should enter, but he twisted the knob anyway and the door swung open easily. Melody lay curled up on her bed, staring out the window with her hair all mussed up. Tear tracks ran down her cheeks, glittering in the moonlight.

"Melody?" Legolas whispered, shocked. None of the Fellowship had ever really thought of her as someone who ever cried. Logically, he knew everyone cried-even elves. But Melody had always smiled. Always. Seeing her like this, now, hurting and broken, tore at his heart.

Slipping inside, he nudged the door closed and sat on the bed beside her. She had yet to acknowledge his presence.

"Mel, honey...please." he whispered, well aware her father was home but he didn't know where.

"What?" she hissed. Legolas recoiled. She was furious. He gently brushed her hair away from her face.

"Can we talk?"

"Kind of are." He smiled. The tone was still angry, but the comment itself was more like the Mel they all knew and loved. He pulled her up into a sitting position so he could wrap his arms around her.

"Please don't run off like that again. You scared me."

"You don't exactly have authority over me." she retorted, glaring at him.

"No, not other than being several thousand years older than you, an elf, and-"

"A prince, yeah, but I'm not an elf, nor am I your subject. And you're kind of on my turf now. My world, my rules." Legolas sighed.

"What happened to your smile?"

"It's taking a break." Legolas winced. This was definitely not going well. He figured he'd leave before it got worse and try talking to her after she calmed down a little bit. He got up to leave, but couldn't help one last comment.

"I wish you would trust me." Melody looked up, startled out of her angry mode, and he saw the vulnerability in her eyes. The need to have someone, anyone, who cared near her. He continued towards the door until she reached out.

"I'm sorry." Legolas turned back, seeing fresh tears running down her cheeks. "I never meant to scare anyone." she whispered. He went back and hugged her again, holding her tightly, gently, and remaining silent so that she could talk.

"My dad hates me. He blames me for my mom's death. I was little, not quite four. I barely remember it. I don't really remember her. He buried himself in his work and remarried a year later. Then Ty was born. He's my half-brother. My dad pretty much ignored both of us, and lost his temper easily. My stepmom-Ty's mom-tried to look after us as best she could. She finally had enough and divorced him. Since I'm not technically her child, I don't have specific times to spend with her. She won custody of Ty, but doesn't have any over me."

"Custody?" Legolas asked. This was very foreign to him. Death was rare amongst elves, and infidelity or multiple marriages practically nonexistent.

"Living with her. Having primary custody of a child means they live with you most of the time. Full custody they live with you all the time and only visit their other parent, if that." Legolas nodded, but still didn't really understand.

"How would your mother's death be your fault?"

"She had this disease-there is no cure, and it's almost always fatal. People do survive, but it's pretty rare. All we can do is extend their lives a little bit. It's genetic, too, it runs in the family. She went into remission-she was getting better-and they thought she'd won a couple more years. Then she found out she was expecting me. Seven months later, they found signs of the disease coming back. They forced me to be born early, and she insisted they save my life before hers. I wasn't really supposed to live, but she insisted. My aunt says she always wanted a daughter. My dad thinks if they'd saved her first, she'd still be alive." she explained. She seemed quiet, dead, emotionless. Like the pain had drained everything, all life from her.

"And you would be dead." Melody shrugged. Legolas held her tighter, just the thought of her dying making him tremble. "I'm glad you are here now. Although I do still wish you would smile again." he whispered into her hair. Melody offered him a weak replica of her radiant expression. He laughed softly, kissing her hair gently. "He has no right to blame you, nor treat you the way he does." Melody shrugged again.

"It doesn't really matter. It was okay before, but then they got divorced and now he's even worse. I was on my own for a week before I realized what he was doing. Since then I've been sleeping over with each of my friends in turn almost every night." she paused. "I'm actually glad you guys came when you did."

"Why?"

"You're keeping me company. You taught me to smile again, helped me remember that there are still good things in life. That I'm worth something. That I'm not just a murderer." she admitted.

"You never killed anyone!"

"He almost convinced me." Legolas froze at the implications behind that statement. This girl's father treated her so that she believed she had killed her mother by being born? That was...sick. Beyond cruel. Beyond anything that Sauron had ever done.

"We have to get you out of here."

"NO!" Melody cried. She jumped out of his arms. "If you do, it's so much more complicated here, you'd definitely be revealed, have nowhere to go, be targeted by tons of people for different reasons, no! No! NO! You have to trust me on this. Besides, I only have two years till I'm an adult."

"I thought your coming of age was next week?"

"It's different from being considered an adult. It's my sweet sixteen. It's when people consider me a young woman instead of a child, but not yet an adult. Eighteen is when we legally become adults here." Legolas frowned. Melody laughed quietly. "Just accept it. I know it's complicated. Hell, it doesn't make sense to me, and I grew up knowing it!" She froze as footsteps sounded.

"Melody? What's that noise?" her father called.

"Anime!" she called back.

"Go to bed."

"I'll put headphones in." he ignored her blatant challenge to his authority and went outside. A few minutes later, he was gone.

"What happened?" Aragorn asked, poking his head in.

"He got pissed off." Melody told him, sliding off the bed. "He won't come back tonight."

"Will you tell them?" Legolas asked quietly after she shooed Aragorn away.

"Maybe in the morning." _Oh, it is nighttime._

"You should rest." he told her, brushing her hair back yet again. She gave him a small smile.

"I will. I promise. Later."

"Then I will stay until you do." Melody took one look at his face and knew he meant it. No matter what she said or did, short of thoroughly embarrassing him by insinuating he would force her, which she refused to do because of the resulting loss of his company and the fragile relationship they now had. Instead, she slipped out into the tree, and he followed. They found a branch sheltered from view in any direction but straight behind her window, even sheltered from view from Gandalf's shed, and sat, arms around each other with Melody resting against Legolas' chest.

"Legolas?" she whispered hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"Were you and your father close?"

Legolas smiled. "Yes. He always made time for me." Sensing her next question, although she didn't ask, he knew she wouldn't, she didn't want to upset him, he added "My mother died fighting the Shadow a long time ago. I was only an elfling, but I have some memories of her." he paused. "We don't have proof that she died, she vanished. But after so many years...and after the defeat of the Shadow..."

"It's assumed."

"Right." Melody snuggled closer to him, offering a quiet comfort without words in a very elven way. Legolas smiled and kissed her hair again. He wouldn't give this up for the world.


	16. Chapter 16: Training

**A/N: Dedicated to She Elf of Hidden Lore-previously LadyNostarielofMirkwood- for beta'ing, and to me 4evaful for their chapters in 'Traitor'-recommended although I don't approve of the ending-that inspired me to set aside my anime inspiration for the moment and come home to Middle Earth! Thanks so much you two, and all my loyal reviewers! I am back!**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Sixteen: Training:

Legolas awoke leaning against a tree trunk, something not unusual for him at all. The unusual part came from the fact he held a young woman wrapped in his arms, her lying in his lap with her head on his chest. He blinked down at her for a moment, then remembered the night before. He was overjoyed that Melody had finally opened up and trusted him, but now he couldn't feel his legs. He needed to move, and she was still sleeping with a quiet innocence that made him feel guilty for disturbing her.

But move he did, and thought she stirred and mumbled something unintelligible to even his elven ears, he guessed she wasn't pleased. _Oh, well._

He slipped an arm behind her back and another under her legs, lifting her easily into his arms as he leapt back to the balcony outside his and Aragorn's room, carrying her inside and through the bathroom to her room. As he laid her in the bed, she twisted and grabbed his tunic, burying her face in it and trying to lay on him like he was her pillow. He smiled at the sweetness of it, and gently tried to disentangle himself, without much success. Finally, his efforts proved in vain and it ended in him waking her up fully.

"Sorry." she mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"It is all right. You should go back to sleep." he replied, smoothing her hair back despite its messiness. He preferred it this way-naturally beautiful. As an elf, Legolas could not understand why the girls went through so much time and materials changing their appearances. It took so much effort, and most often, in the end, the difference wasn't that noticeable. But, well, they were girls. And he wasn't. So maybe he just wasn't meant to understand.

Melody scrambled out of bed and followed him downstairs without a word, stealing some coffee from the hobbits when she got to the kitchen. The entire Fellowship drank lots of coffee, except Legolas, who rarely drank any, and when he did, only very little. As an elf, he really didn't need it. He just liked the smell.

"I've been thinking." Gandalf said suddenly. "Concerning what we heard yesterday on the TV,"

"What?" Melody asked, surprised.

"Oh, after you left, the lady said there was a ball of fire on top of the Tokyo Skytree." Frodo said quickly. "We believe it's Sauron and he's followed the Ring here."

Melody nodded. "So we have to train both sides to fight in this world and Middle-Earth." The Fellowship gaped at her. "What?"

"Precisely what I was going to say!" Gandalf cried. "Now that you understand..." he ignored the glares he received for taking credit for Melody's comprehension, as if he had explained, which he hadn't.

"Soldier." Aragorn teased.

"I prefer warrior, if that." Melody retorted. Legolas blinked.

"That's elven."

"I'm Irish." Legolas smiled and inclined his head.

"What weapons are you most comfortable with?" Gandalf queried.

"I've never fought. The closest I've gotten is wrestling matches with my cousins, dueling my little brother with plastic swords, and shooting still targets outdoors."

"That's not a bad start." Aragorn commented. "I can help train you with a sword, Legolas with a bow, and between Boromir and Gimli, you should be able to find someone to wrestle with."

"I've always wanted to try throwing knives or throwing stars as well." Melody admitted, shyly.

Gandalf muttered something about women having no place on the battlefield, and Melody turned, grabbing a flag from against the wall and whipping it at him, stopping mere centimeters from his face. "I could have smashed your skull against the counter behind you, so you might want to listen up." she said calmly. "I don't like your little 'I'm a wizard and you're not' attitude. I don't like your sexism. Try keeping me out of the front lines and you'll die. I'm going to fight for the freedom I believe in and the people I love whether you like it or not. I don't remember you being this obnoxious in the stories, and it's making me suspicious. Either cut it out or leave."

"I am trying to get home! You are not helping!" Gandalf said darkly. "And I could kill you before you killed me." Legolas stood and moved to stand beside Melody, not daring to get in front of her, with his knives and bow.

"I would advise you against trying." he snarled. Aragorn grabbed his sword and stood on Melody's other side.

The front door slamming made everyone jump. Bri led the way into the kitchen, chattering excitedly over her shoulder, and stopped dead when Aragorn moved defensively in front of her. "What the-EEK!" she shrieked.

"What happened?" Wynter's voice called.

"Stand down. All of you!" Boromir ordered, his tone firm. Gandalf backed away, glaring furiously at Melody, who felt Legolas wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her away from him.

"I see you're comfortable with a pole as well." he whispered in her ear, trying to distract her. She leaned the flag up against the wall.

"It's for performance, not a weapon. I'm in color guard for marching band. We twirl flags to look pretty while the band plays the music." she explained, momentarily distracted by his smile.

"We could use that talent to-" he broke off as Gandalf stormed away. Aragorn shrugged at him. They quickly sat the newcomers down and explained everything to them. Wynter had brought a few new people, Alec had come back early from his trip and was waiting outside for her, but didn't know of the events within Melody's home.

The newcomers included Shay, AJ, and 'Lyssa. They quickly went through introductions and explanations. Wynter admitted on her way out that she was familiar with archery, and was assigned to Legolas as an apprentice. She also said she would prefer to be a long distance away from blood, which bothered Aragorn, but, well, archery was a ranged style.

Everyone else would have to be assessed, although Bri and Ruby were paired with Melody to work out how they could use poles as weapons since they were also members of this 'color guard'.

Wynter picked up some bows and arrows from her club, making excuses as she went, and dropped them off at Mel's. "We don't have them for too long." she warned before Alec whisked her away.

"All right." Aragorn stepped in, taking over for Gandalf temporarily. Or permanently. Whichever proved necessary. "Let's get started."

Legolas took Melody to assess her skill with a bow, Aragorn took Bri, Boromir took Ruby, Gimli, Shay, and the hobbits took AJ and 'Lyssa, two hobbits per person, and taught them what they knew of cooking and camping outdoors. They agreed to rotate every hour.

Legolas set up a target made of spare materials from the shed and Melody found wrist guards and a bow that suited her. Legolas didn't understand some of the more 'modern' bows, and was surprised when Melody chose one most like his, simple and unadorned, without fancy double strings or anything. When asked why, she just shrugged. "It's just what I'm comfortable with." Legolas nodded, and wordlessly indicated the target. Melody stuck five arrows in the ground point-first and took her stance, left side towards the target. Legolas stopped her, looking her over for mistakes, then nodded, smiling, for her to continue. She selected an arrow and nocked it, Legolas again checking for mistakes. She focused intently on the center of the target, drawing her right arm back, fingers curled around the string. This had to be good.

It wasn't too bad. She was an inch off, which, for her first attempt in years, and never having had much practice to start with, was pretty good. Legolas watched her, offering a few tips, showing her how to adjust for wind, and telling her-often-to have more confidence in herself, and even shooting a few arrows of his own. There wasn't much he could teach her until she could hit the bulls-eye continuously. She knew what to do, it was just down to practice now. After half an hour, he pulled her away from the target and pulled out his knives. He showed her a few simple moves, slashes and blocks, nothing too fancy. Melody swallowed nervously as he handed her the knives, and he held her wrist, waiting until she met his gaze.

"Just relax." he told her. "Even if anything did go wrong, I'm right here." Melody nodded, taking a deep breath. It quickly became clear she was scared of knives, though she refused to admit it, or tell the elf why. Sighing, Legolas figured they'd just have to work through it. An archer should always have a backup weapon. They spent the other half of their hour practicing stances and blocks for the most part. Melody learned quickly, but was also easily distracted. Teaching her to focus was the real challenge. The more she focused in practice, the less chance she'd get distracted in a real fight.

The others had very little talent in any area of weaponry. Obviously, fighting wasn't as common here. Even while Legolas was teaching Bri how to hold the bow, or explaining to Ruby the difference between his bow and each of their different styles, from what Melody had said, he watched Mel. She wasn't as good with a sword as a bow, and couldn't stand up to a full grown man in wrestling, but she had some natural skill, and she'd admitted to some experience, however little and insignificant it was. By the time they finished, everyone was tired and bruised and ready for food and bed. Wynter had returned after her date, and Melody got a call from her father saying he wouldn't be coming home that night. So she had a mass sleepover with her friends and gave the Fellowship complete freedom of her property.


	17. Chapter 17: Sleepover!

**A/N: Dedicated to She Elf of Hidden Lore for beta'ing, and to me 4evaful for their chapters in 'Traitor'-recommended although I don't approve of the ending-that inspired me to set aside my anime inspiration for the moment and come home to Middle Earth! Thanks so much you two, and all my loyal reviewers! I am back!**

Welcome to Earth:

Chapter Seventeen: Sleepover!

Everyone scattered after dinner, but the girls except Melody grouped up in the den, all for the same reason. Melody's birthday was coming up soon, and they wanted to have a celebration. Melody had heard from her father that her original plans were canceled, and the girls wanted to take her to Six Flags instead, and to replace her family reunion, they wanted to bring in the Fellowship as a sort of substitute family. The problem was telling the Fellowship and keeping it secret from Melody.

"I know!" Wynter exclaimed. "We'll tell them while she's asleep!"

"But she could end up staying up all night." Bri pointed out.

"Then we'll put her to bed!" Ruby stated confidently.

"Good luck with that." Toria told her sister.

"Hey Mel!" Ruby called. "Mel?"

"Probably outside with Legolas." Aragorn replied from in front of the TV. "Where's Bri?"

"Thanks." the blonde told him. "She's right here. Bri, Aragorn's asking after you!"

Bri went over and ended up staying by the Dunedain, while Ruby went outside to continue her search for Melody. "MEL!"

"What?" came the annoyed reply from above her head.

"Why don't you get some sleep? That way you're less bitchy tomorrow." Ruby retorted.

"You're _so_ kind." Melody replied sarcastically.

"I mean it hun. You're exhausted. Let us look after them for a night-there's enough of us."

"She is right." came Legolas' voice. "You should rest. We will be fine." He hugged her and helped her back onto the balcony. Ruby beckoned him down once he got Melody inside, and he followed her to where Wynter had gathered everyone else in the basement.

"Listen up." she instructed. "Melody's sweet sixteen is coming up next week. Otherwise known as her sixteenth birthday and the day people consider her a young woman instead of a young girl. Originally, the plan was for her to have a reunion with all of her family and a day at the beach. However, because of her recent situation family-wise, that has been canceled. So we decided to take her to Six Flags for a day. We can't get her family back together, but we want you to stand in their place. Six Flags is a theme park with rides and games."

"Won't we be recognized from the movies?" Aragorn asked.

"We'll cover for you. Don't worry about it." Bri replied.

"Shouldn't we get her gifts?" Legolas asked.

"That's why we're telling you now. We'll help you get presents for her without her noticing." Ruby explained. The Fellowship nodded.

"Think about it tonight and get one of us alone-without Mel around-and tell us what you'd like to get. You can also ask us for help since you've only known her a few days." Wynter finished.

The end result was Gimli wanted to get her jewelry, Sam wanted to compile a cook book and make treats for her, Frodo wanted to get her writing supplies, since he'd already figured that she was a writer herself, much like him, Merry and Pippin wanted to get a bag of tricks together for her, Aragorn wanted to get her her own weapons, despite the fact he was told it was illegal and difficult, and he said he'd take care of it on his own, and Legolas remained so indecisive everyone else gave up on him.

"A ring." Gimli offered yet again.

"You're getting her jewelry." Bri reminded him.

"An engagement ring."

"She is too young." Legolas replied firmly. "And it is much too soon."

"He's right." Wynter finished.

"You could sing for her." Frodo offered.

"She wouldn't be able to keep it."

"As a memory, she would-"

"She's forgetful. If anything were to happen to cause her to doubt him, that memory would become tainted." Bri explained.

"An instrument, then." Sam decided.

"She already has all the instruments she knows how to play. All the ones she wants to play." Wynter informed them.

"A new, better version."

"That's an option." They all looked at Legolas, who frowned thoughtfully. "All right."

Eventually he decided on a solid silver flute. He didn't approve too much of the guitar once he heard the music she played with it, but figured she had every right to it. That didn't mean he would encourage it.

"All right." Wynter decided finally. "We'll get some sleep since Aragorn wants us to train again tomorrow, and start working on presents the day after. Got it?" Everyone agreed and left for their respective beds.

Aragorn stayed behind to ask Bri when her sweet sixteen was, and was told it was in two months. He saved the date away in his mind, despite her protests, and simply hugged her good night.

Gimli asked about Wynter's, but was told it was six months ago, and went to bed grumbling, much to the amusement of everyone else. It was becoming clear he was infatuated with the blonde, despite the fact she was seeing someone and very happy with him.

The hobbits clustered around Toria and Ruby, and were saddened to learn that Ruby's had passed a year ago, and Toria's wasn't for another year. Only Melody and Bri had one that they could possibly go to.

"Less parties." Frodo said sadly. The others agreed.

"But who says we can't give them presents?" Pippin asked suddenly.


	18. Chapter 18: Betrayal and Bicycles

******A/N: Dedicated to She Elf of Hidden Lore for beta'ing, and to me 4evaful for their chapters in 'Traitor'-recommended although I don't approve of the ending-that inspired me to set aside my anime inspiration for the moment and come home to Middle Earth! Thanks so much you two, and all my loyal reviewers!**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Eighteen: Betrayal and Bicycles:

"All right!" Aragorn called. "Let's take a break!" Melody sighed in relief and swayed unsteadily. Legolas rushed forward, concern etched in his features.

"Are you all right?" Melody leaned back against him as he caught her.

"Yeah." Honestly, the world was spinning, but she wouldn't tell him that. Melody hadn't been this exhausted since her last meet about two months ago.

The group trooped back inside and everyone found a spot to lounge in front of the TV. The news lady came on and started with "Breaking news from Tokyo SkyTree. An old man in white robes appeared today on the back of some sort of giant eagle, going straight up to the top." they showed a clip of what was unmistakably Gandalf flying up to talk to the eye of Sauron. Melody blinked. Sure, he hadn't returned in three days, more than enough time to work some magic and find a map, but...betrayal? Gandalf? What the hell was going on here?

Frodo broke the sudden silence. "I don't believe it." he stated, suddenly stubborn. He looked stricken. Gandalf, his uncle Bilbo's best friend, a traitor? Yes, they were stuck in another world, but it wasn't that bad. Melody and the others really were doing their best to help. Aragorn went to comfort the hobbit, not really knowing what to say or do. The only close friend he'd ever had was Legolas, and the thought of the elf betraying them was just, well, absurd. Then again, so was the thought of Gandalf betraying them. Aragorn shuddered as he pictured Legolas' face as that of an orc, a twisted, evil version of his elven self.

"I'm sorry." Melody said quietly, looking at the ground. Even the distraught Frodo looked up in surprise. Legolas blinked in understanding and went to put his arm around her. Her modern friends all shook their heads sadly.

"Don't be stupid." Bri told her, rather harshly. Legolas gestured for peace. But Frodo spoke up first.

"Bri's right. Don't blame yourself for Gandalf's actions." Melody glanced at him, concerned, but he calmly made his way downstairs to grieve alone. Aragorn stood there stricken, and Legolas hovered between him and Melody until Bri went to talk some sense into Aragorn.

After Bri moved over by Aragorn, Legolas relaxed slightly and went to sit by Melody, hugging her gently. "It is not your fault." he told her quietly.

"I brought you here, I argued with him. Whose fault is it then?" Melody retorted.

"Gandalf's own. He is older than you by many years, and much wiser. He is responsible for his own decisions, not you." Legolas told her firmly. "No one here blames you."

Melody looked up at him, almost as if expecting him to hate her. It tore at Legolas' heart. Bri, too, looked awkward and uncomfortable, as if she felt it was their fault, but not as strongly as Melody. "It is neither of your faults." Legolas said firmly, his gaze hardening. "Now relax, please." The last part he directed mostly at Melody, still shaking in his arms.

"This is too sad." Merry commented. "I liked it better when we were happy."

"I know!" Pippin cried. "Teach us to ride one of those two-wheeled carts!"

"A bike?" Bri asked suspiciously.

"Yes, that." Pippin noded wisely, clearly having no clue what he was talking about. "I've wanted to since I saw it!" Melody gave Bri a look saying 'you do it' but Bri just laughed and pulled her friend off Legolas' lap and into the garage.

"Who's first?" Bri called. Pippin jumped up next to her, hopping around excitedly. Melody raised an eyebrow at him curiously.

"Thought hobbits were quiet and calm." she commented, going to grab her own bike. She glanced hopefully over at Legolas, and he followed her with a smile. She yanked the bike out of the garage and set it outside. "I have my old one too." she pulled that one out as well, and soon they had four bikes lined up.

"Four people at once." Bri exclaimed. Melody shook her head.

"Two. We'll take the other two to use in demos." Bri blinked, considered it, then nodded.

"Okay..."

Soon they had Legolas and Aragorn on bikes, having adjusted the seats and Pippin having chickened out of being the first. Aragorn went first, Bri carefully explaining how the pedals and steering worked. Melody put in a few comments here and there, such as "Too much weight on one side and you'll tip over." Something she'd had issues with as a young girl.

Aragorn finally stood on the pedal, pushing forward. He got partway down the driveway before he twisted the handlebars and went flying into some bushes on the side. Bri smirked, and Melody giggled. "Balance is key." she told Legolas, gliding down the driveway ahead of him. He got farther than Aragorn, at least. The elf made it out into the street before he decided to try going up the curb into the grass. The bike bounced up and hit him hard. All the males present winced, and Legolas fell, cringing in pain. Melody looked over, eyes wide, then tilted her head. _Guys in Middle Earth seriously never learned that protection is a good thing? Sheesh._ Riding back over, she helped him up and back into the garage.

"Sit." she ordered, sighing. "It was a good try. Here's a hint: If you go over a big bump like that curb, the bike goes up, too." Everyone else laughed, and Melody could have sworn the elven prince blushed. She glared at the group until they quieted down, Aragorn smacking his friend gently upside the head.

"That was very intelligent of you, Legolas." he teased. Melody threw a rake at him.

"Back off and leave him alone-if you'd made it that far, it would've been you instead of him!" she pointed out, bringing laughs from the rest of the group again.

Later that night, Melody went outside to find Legolas. She hadn't seen him since she'd gotten him to sit on the couch but he wasn't there anymore. _Does it seriously hurt for that long? Glad I'm not one of them._ "Legolas?" she called softly. "Are you okay?" Looking up, she spotted a bit of blonde hair in the tree. "Not that hard to find." she muttered, climbing up beside him. "Hey." He looked away, shifting uncomfortably. Sighing, she realized that since Middle Earth people were much more formal, that sort of thing was...seriously awkward. He just didn't know how to handle it. "It's not that bad. We're a lot more relaxed here, okay? Just forget it ever happened-well, don't repeat it, obviously, but no one's going to-" she broke off as he jumped down.

"Hey I'm trying to help!" she yelled after him, trying to jump down after the elf. Since she was human, she landed on the edge of the pool. "This pool needs to move." Legolas turned in time to see her ankle twist unnaturally as she tried to stay away from the cold water, and she winced in pain as it cracked. Legolas grabbed her arm before she fell in, pulling her against him and lifting her enough so none of her weight reached her now-injured ankle.

"Are you okay?" he asked, not upset anymore, but more worried.

"Fine. It does this sometimes. I just twisted it wrong." Legolas nodded, but he still looked worried. His little biking incident seemed forgotten for the moment, which, Melody reflected wryly, was what she had intended-although getting hurt had not been a part of her original plan.

"Are you sure?" Legolas asked again.

"Yes. I'm going to bed." Melody snapped, suddenly annoyed with his concern. _Why can't he just relax? Shit happens! _Legolas' eyes widened just a bit. Sure, they'd seen her annoyed, but never with him.

"Mel?" he asked uncertainly, but she just stalked inside and disappeared. Sighing, he went to find Aragorn and ask him what happened. Aragorn was with Bri, arm around her shoulders, looking up at the sky and talking quietly. Not wanting to interrupt, Legolas moved on and climbed back into the tree. Light from Melody's room filtered through the branches, and he glanced at the window to see her curled up on her bed, staring out at the stars with tears falling onto the pillow. Suddenly feeling awfully guilty, he turned away, not sure what he'd said or done, but knowing she was crying because of him.

Melody blinked away the tears angrily. _I should've known it. He's an elf, and almost worse than __that, he's a prince. He'll never be like one of us, not this relaxed, and it's hard enough for him as it is. He's too formal and I'll never know what he's thinking. We don't even belong to the same world. How the hell did I get my hopes up so high?_ Stifling a sob, she forced her eyes shut, crying herself to sleep yet again, not knowing that the cause of her pain sat just feet away, watching and wishing things were different too.


	19. Chapter 19: Presents!

**********A/N: Dedicated to She Elf of Hidden Lore for beta'ing, and to me 4evaful for their chapters in 'Traitor'-recommended although I don't approve of the ending-that inspired me to set aside my anime inspiration for the moment and come home to Middle Earth! Thanks so much you two, and all my loyal reviewers!**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Nineteen: Presents!

Morning light filled the house as people began to stir. Melody's dad hadn't come home for a while, but no one dared ask why or mention it. Melody seemed to handle it just fine. All they could do was be a family for her.

This was decided at breakfast, while Melody was either still asleep or resting, although Legolas suspected she may have been hiding from him.

"It's awful." Frodo commented. "What father would do that to his own child?" Sam just shook his head.

"I don't know, but it's sure sad to see."

"We're her family now." Aragorn said quietly. "We're the ones who surround her and interact with her regularly, so we must be the ones who support her and look after her when she needs it."

"How are we a family?" Pippin asked. "Who's the mother?" They all looked at each other.

"It's not funny, Pip." Merry scolded. "Melody has taken over the role of a mother to all of us, but she's too young."

"I see it." Gimli cut in, thoughtful for once. "Wynter acts as her older sister, Bri as a younger sister. The hobbits are like brothers to her, Aragorn as an elder brother or cousin, perhaps uncle."

"You as the same." Aragorn added.

"What about Legolas?" Pippin asked. The rest of the Fellowship smiled mischievously.

"He's special." Legolas looked and felt incredibly guilty when they said that.

"What happened?" Aragorn asked. Legolas hesitated, then quickly explained what had happened the night before, looking at the ground. S ilence filled the kitchen for a few minutes.

"You know why this happened, don't you?" Gimli offered. "This world is much less formal than ours. You were raised in the most formal way possible, and she was not. She's trying to fit in to your way of life, but it's hard for her. It would be easier for you to relax and trust her." Legolas nodded, making up his mind.

"Now," Aragorn began, but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Merry and Pippin raced for the door, checking to make sure it was someone they knew before letting in Wynter, Bri, Ruby, and Toria.

"Present time! Hurry!" Wynter started ushering everyone around. "Bri, go tell Mel we're taking everyone out for the day so she can relax." Bri nodded and ran upstairs.

"Hobbits with Ruby and Toria, make them fit, I don't care, everyone else with me." Wynter led everyone outside and split them up accordingly.

"Thanks." Melody told Bri tiredly before turning over and going back to sleep.

"She said thanks!" Bri called as she raced out the door and leapt into the passenger's side of Wynter's family car. "Here goes nothing!"

Toria took Sam and Frodo, while Ruby took Merry and Pippin to separate sections of Wal*Mart and Target, then they all ran to Woodman's and used the sisters' house to store the food, hiding the hobbits in the car while they ran inside and told their parents it was for Melody's surprise party.

Wynter dropped Bri and Aragorn off at a strip mall of sporting stores in a nearby city before taking Legolas and Gimli to any store that sold nice jewelry at a fairly good price. First, she took them to a Cash-4-Gold since Gimli had a few pieces of valuable metal on him that he was willing to trade in. She helped restrain Gimli's price range and lent Legolas her phone so he could look up flutes before she took them to a music store after lunch.

"Be careful here. One of Mel's exes works here and he's obsessed with her." she warned the elf.

"Ex?" Gimli asked.

"They were seeing each other until she left him. Then she got into this forgiveness thing, but she left him every time. It's better now, they're both moving on, but he knows me, knows her, knows when her birthday is, and will ask questions. Just stay quiet, Legolas, pick out whichever one you want for her so we can leave, got it?" The dwarf and elf nodded, and Wynter led the way in.

"Hey." called a blonde boy from behind the counter. Wynter nodded at him.

"What's up?" She drew him into a conversation, avoiding any mention of surprise parties or really why they were here. Gimli stuck close to Legolas, almost tripping him, until the elf glared at him and he went to stand behind Wynter.

The elf eventually approached the counter with a beautiful silver flute in his hands. Wynter checked the price tag, and the boy behind the counter nodded. "I'll give you a discount if it's for Autumn."

"Who?" Gimli asked, forgetting the 'quiet' rule.

"Mel. Pet name." Wynter told him. Legolas blinked.

"Because of her hair?" The boy nodded, looking him over.

"We'll take it." Wynter said quickly, ushering the elf and dwarf outside before paying swiftly and leaving. "All right. Here will do." she parked in the nearest parking lot and climbed in back with them. "We'll wrap these and hide them till Sunday." She helped them wrap everything up and then drove them back to the park near Melody's house. "We told her we'd be out all day, but we're early, so we'll hang out here till Toria and Ruby show up with the hobbits, and we'll probably take Mel with us out to dinner." Gimli wandered around before falling asleep in the play tunnel, and Legolas climbed the nearest tree and sat staring in the direction of Melody's house, looking thoughtful.

"You upset her again?" Wynter asked from the bottom of the tree. Legolas just sighed. "We keep telling you to just relax. Quit holding back and let her know how you feel. Trust me, I've known her for three years, but we're close as sisters, and she won't turn you away."

"That is not what I am worried about."

"Quit talking so formally, too. It's getting on everyone's nerves." Wynter suggested. "Why don't you come down?" Legolas thought for a moment, then dropped down beside her. She sat in the shade, and he followed, lying down nearby. "So what are you worried about?"

"What happens later. I will have to go back eventually. But I refuse to force her to choose between me and her home."

"At this rate, she wouldn't regret going with you." Wynter muttered. "Worry about that when and if it happens. Right now, all you're doing is confusing and hurting her. Try being completely honest and open. You'll be surprised." she finished just as Ruby pulled up with the remainder of their group in tow.

"Are we going to go get Mel or are you?" Toria called.

"We will." Wynter replied. "Where are we eating?"

"CiCi's closed, otherwise I'd say there. Can we afford Luigi's?"

"Maybe. Let's try it!" Wynter exclaimed. She got Legolas and Gimli back in the car and sent a text to Mel so that she'd be ready. She was waiting in the driveway when they pulled up, wearing her signature tank top and shorts, much like Wynter always wore. Her hair was up messily again, and she climbed in the passenger seat instead of sitting in back with Legolas, making him wonder if he was being oversensitive by feeling hurt. Wynter's worried look told him he wasn't.

"So, how was your day?" she asked conversationally.

"Fine."

Silence. Then, "You're upset. Still?"

"I'm just tired. You woke me up."

"Sorry." But even Gimli knew there was more to it than that.

Wynter caught Legolas' eye in the rearview mirror and flashed him a reassuring smile.

"Where are we going?" Melody asked.

"Luigi's." Mel shot her friend a look. "Is that safe?"

"Course. We'll just reuse your convention excuse. By the way, we're kidnapping you Sunday."

"We have a parade Sunday." Wynter fell silent.

"Oh yeah. Then we'll go Thursday."

"Go?"

"You'll see." The car ride remained silent the rest of the trip, until they pulled into the parking lot.

"Shit!" Wynter swore as soon as they walked in. She backed up into Melody and ran to hide behind Legolas.

"I found them!" Gimli called loudly, as Toria and Ruby waved from a table towards the back.

"This is bad." Wynter whispered.

"Why?" Legolas asked, giving Melody a confused look before remembering she was mad at him again.

"Her boyfriend's here." Melody explained coolly. Legolas' heart plummeted. _Have I lost her already?_ "He's already seen you hun. Good luck."

"That's all you're going to say?"

"Tell him the convention story."

"He's going to ask who they really are!"

"Say they're my cousins." Wynter froze. "That would work if you'd seen your cousins in the past six years!"

"They came out to make up for missing my birthday and my dad doesn't know so they'll pretend not to know if he ever mentions it in the future. Done." Melody reeled off, smirking.

"I love you." Wynter whispered, hugging her friend tightly. "I owe you one!"

"Then you're paying!" Melody called, breaking out into laughter as Wynter froze, already halfway over to her boyfriend.

"Hell no!" she retorted.

"I'll pay." Alec offered. They did introductions, using the Fellowships' 'convention' names for convenience, claiming that they were simply really into character.

"You get used to it after all day." Melody told him when he looked suspicious after Merry easily called out Pippin's name without thinking about it. "Nerds."

"Didn't know your cousins were like that."

"Swiders are crazy." He just nodded. Everyone who knew the truth could tell the girls hated lying to him, they were all friends with him, but it had to be done.

"So, who's up for laser tag?"


	20. Chapter 20: Laser Tag

**A/N: Dedicated to She Elf of Hidden Lore thanks so much!  
**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Twenty: Laser Tag:

"Sure!" Ruby cut in swiftly, filling the shocked silence. "Let's go!"

"Play along." Melody mouthed in warning to the Fellowship. They all nodded subtly, and followed the girls and Alec to the back. The teen behind the counter asked for code names. Wynter said Black Tiger, Alec said Stumpy, which made the Fellowship notice that his right hand was missing. Pippin asked, and Alec just told him he'd been born that way. Pippin told him he was strong, and he gave the hobbit a confused look, but thanked him for the compliment. He was an easygoing, friendly guy, and they all hated deceiving him.

"You?" the employee asked Aragorn.

"Elessar." Legolas smiled, and Melody, too, as she gave her name.

"Phoenix." Legolas blinked, suddenly remembering legends of old, of flaming birds with extraordinary strength whose tears could heal fatal wounds and cure all but the darkest diseases, and who died in their own flame, only to be reborn from the ashes. He suddenly connected it with the decorations in her room, and smiled at the hidden meaning. Gimli stepped forward.

"Stoneworker." Rather strange, but very in character.

"Gardener." Sam said stoutly, and refused to change it, despite the strange looks, even from his fellow hobbits.

"Ring-bearer." Frodo moved smoothly along.

"Meriadoc." Merry told him.

"Peregrin." Pippin bounced right past the table.

"SisterGrimm" Bri tossed over her shoulder, joining Aragorn.

"Greenleaf." Legolas said at last, following the others into what they called the briefing room. A quick video explained how the game and vests worked, as well as the things called lasers.

"Okay, form your teams and we'll assign your vests." said the boy from the counter.

Legolas found himself cornered by Aragorn and Gimli, both wanting to be on his team. The hobbits, Ruby, and Toria clustered together opposite them, and Melody, Wynter, Bri, and Alec stood over by the door.

"Isn't Boromir around?" Alec teased.

"Here." Boromir replied, moving out from the back corner.

"I guess you're on their team." Wynter told him.

"Unless you want to switch." Melody offered, stepping forward. Legolas flinched. Boromir just shrugged, moving to stand by the hobbits' team. Melody stepped back, glancing over towards the rest of her group. Legolas looked away, and she frowned. "You okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Fine." he replied, trying to keep his voice level. It came out sounding colder than he intended, and Mel just nodded before turning away. Wynter sighed and glared at him. He winced and turned back to the wall. _Why does everything I do end up wrong with her?_

"It's normal." Wynter muttered. "She'll get over it. Eventually."

Gimli glared at Alec, not liking him simply because he was with Wynter. Alec just smiled and shook his head, wrapping his arm around Wynter's waist.

"You're going doooown!" he told the group opposite them.

"Be nice!" Melody retorted harshly.

"Whoa, Mel. Relax." he told her, letting go of Wynter long enough to tug on her hair. She snapped at him, jumping away, and he chased her, poking her sides and making her squeak. And the Fellowship stare. Wynter laughed and joined in, tickling Melody until they had her backed up in a corner, clutching her sides and laughing.

"No, seriously, stop, stop, STOP!" she yelled, sliding to the ground.

"Then quit being a grumpy puss." Wynter retorted, flicking her friend's forehead. She tugged Alec away, then turned and started tickling Melody again. The Fellowship laughed, and Mel glared at each of them in turn.

"What are you all laughing at? Help me!" she cried, but no one moved. Legolas watched, unable to help smiling at the sight. Melody's gaze flicked around over each person in the room until she found Legolas and shot him a pleading look. Her wide eyes reflected the strange light, making her look panicked and scared. Even though he knew different, he moved over and pulled her away.

"She'll need to be able to stand." he pointed out, surprising himself at how easily the slang rolled off his tongue. Aragorn and Wynter both gave him approving looks, and Melody blinked. Alec started handing out vests as numbers and names were called, but no one moved. Once they were all dressed up, the hobbits were nominated the blue team, since Melody's favorite color was red. They were led off and instructed by another employee, while the red team followed the boy from the counter.

Legolas noticed Aragorn walking with Bri and fell in beside Melody, noticing how often she blinked and realizing that the lights must be messing with her eyes. He gently touched her shoulder, guiding her after the others as she strayed out towards the middle.

"Sorry." she muttered. "It takes a few minutes to adjust." Legolas stayed silent, leaving his hand on her back even after they reached their base. Wynter and Aragorn gave him subtle encouragement as the ref explained the game and left.

"Blue team, are you ready?" came a loud voice over a speaker system.

"YES!" Ruby and Toria screamed, the hobbits chorusing a bit late.

"Red team, are you ready?"

"YES!" they all screamed back in unison. Wynter, Bri, and Melody reached out for high-fives.

A new song started playing as the game started, and Melody sang quietly with it.

"Do you ever feel, like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again, do you ever feel, just so paper-thin, like a house of cards," Legolas smiled, chasing after her as she ran up the slope directly in front of them. His vest flashed, telling him he'd been hit, and he turned to see Boromir doing a victory dance.

"I got the elf!" Legolas tried to get him back, but the vest wouldn't let him.

"Wait a sec." Melody told him, coming back. She shot Boromir straight in the chest and grabbed Legolas' hand, dragging him up to the upper floor and shoving him behind one of the random barriers before taking up a stance nearby.

"You just gotta ignite...the light...and let it shine...just undenied...like the fourth of july...cause baby you're a firework..come on show 'em what you're worth, make 'em go oh, oh, oh, you're gonna leave 'em going oh, oh, oh..."

"Now you can shoot." Wynter whispered in his ear as his vest told him "shields down". He nodded to her in thanks, and darted past Melody, startling her, and going straight after Boromir. Gimli cornered two of the hobbits, and Aragorn and Bri fought over who protected who.

"It's just a game!" she cried exasperatedly. Alec and Wynter worked well together, rounding up Toria and Ruby through some complex strategy. A random shot got Melody, and she swore, ducking behind a barrier and peering around the corner, selecting her target. She had no idea who it was, but she followed the lit-up vest with her eyes until she could fire and got them right on the shoulder.

The red team won the first round, and the second, the blue team won the third simply because they stormed the red base and hit the X.

"I didn't know it was set up like that this time!" Bri and Melody chorused.

"We're going after theirs!" Wynter and Alec commanded. The others nodded, and formed a line across the arena as soon as their vests lit up. Alec, Wynter, Aragorn, and Bri cornered the hobbits and sisters, while Gimli ran off to distract Boromir. Melody and Legolas zeroed in on the 'X', only to find Boromir sitting right in front of it.

"That dwarf..." Legolas muttered, frustrated. Boromir jumped up and started firing, and Legolas pushed Melody behind the nearest barrier, only to see Boromir's vest flash white and hear him swearing badly enough to get scolded by a ref. Melody smiled innocently at him before flying in and shooting the 'X' while Legolas stayed beside her. Aragorn and Bri covered them, side by side as the blue team broke free of the barricade and ran for the red base. Wynter and Alec ran off, yelling a warning to Gimli, and the game ended with Melody's shot.

"Time up! Overall winners...red team!" the man on the speaker announced. Returning to the briefing room, they all hung up their vests, discussing the game loudly and going back the their tables. Wynter and Alec went to order pizza, and took the hobbits to get drinks. The sisters went to get game cards while Bri explained to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli how the games worked. Melody sat quietly beside Legolas, seemingly nervous. Once Bri was done, Aragorn drew her into conversation, and Legolas noticed how comfortable they were together, despite their differences. Glancing sideways at Melody, he saw she had her phone out and leaned over, slipping his arm behind her back to steady himself so he wouldn't fall on her.

Melody glanced up and smiled. "Getting pictures. Look." she showed him the picture of a flower of flame that was currently displayed on the screen.

"Beautiful." he murmured. She laughed. "It reminds me of you." She jumped, whacking her head against his chin.

"Sorry. Um, thanks." she replied, blushing. She refused to look at him until he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. Leaning hesitantly against him, she wrapped her free arm around him and glanced over at the counter, checking to make sure no fights or fires had been started.

"They're taking their time." Bri commented. Melody just nodded quietly, smiling as her gaze wandered over the restaurant and arcade. Toria and Ruby briefly joined the group at the counter before taking the hobbits into the arcade with them. Boromir left his corner and quietly followed. Bri could sense Aragorn's interest and got up, taking him with her. The two left at the table could hear her challenging him to an air hockey match.

"Do you want to go watch?" Legolas asked.

"However interesting it would be, the last time I watched Bri have a match with someone, I got hit and ended up with bruises. So, no. You're welcome to go, though." Melody explained, smiling at the memory.

"And leave you alone?" he asked. "No. I'd rather stay." Again, he wondered at how easy it really was to be this close to her, and without hurting her. If only he'd figured this out earlier.

"Pizza's on its way!" Wynter called. "You two going to watch the table?"

"Maybe. How much is on the cards?"

"Ten each." Melody whistled softly. "Add it up."

"We split the cost." Alec told her.

"What about me?"

"You don't have a job."

"So?" Melody reached for her purse, but Wynter pulled her hand away.

"It's fine, hun, so sit and relax. You going to play now or wait?" Melody glanced up at Legolas, who shrugged.

"It's up to you." Wynter smirked.

"On second thought, get up and go. You're taking too long to decide. Besides, you're more fun after half an hour in the arcade!"

"I thought you didn't like video games much." Legolas whispered as they walked away, Wynter laughing her head off.

"I don't." Melody replied. "But here you can win candy!" Legolas blinked.

"She simulates being drunk when she's sugar-high! Minus the messiness!" Wynter called loudly, and Melody blushed.

"That's why she's letting us go now. More hyperactivity."

"Is that bad?" Legolas wondered. Melody just smiled.

"Depends."


	21. Chapter 21: Arcades and Truth

**A/N: Dedicated to m****y beta She Elf of Hidden Lore, and to my reviewers tbroski46, dandapanda-wait and you'll see, but never assume with this story!, silentmidnightdeath-I do the same thing, lolz, but my friends love giving me sugar because of it!, DragonBlade1000-yes it is! WOOT WOOT! :D and new chapters coming soon! Despite school starting tomorrow! D:, and to Theta-McBride, I hope so! :D Song mentioned belongs to whoever wrote it, LotR belongs to Tolkien. Story and Earth girls belong to me.**

Welcome to Earth:

Chapter Twenty-One: Arcades and Truth:

Melody led the way into the arcade, beelining for the Guitar Hero in the back. She swiped her card, then explained to Legolas how to play before swiping his and passing him the second-player guitar. "Pick a song." she told him. He scrolled randomly and pressed the green button with his eyes closed.

"Nice." she muttered. "We play this in pep band."

"What is it?" he asked.

"We Got the Beat." she told him, smirking as the notes started.

Twenty minutes later, Wynter had to come and get them for pizza, since they hadn't noticed the time. "I'll show you my other favorite game later." Melody promised, and Legolas felt happier than he had in a long time.

Pizza went quickly, and they put in an order for desserts before heading back to the arcade. Boromir challenged Aragorn to a shooting game, and Bri and Wynter kidnapped Melody first for Ski-Ball, then for the racing games. Legolas tagged along, topping their high scores on his second try at Ski-Ball but failing the racing games epically. They stopped at the prize counter for candy before Melody led them over to Deal-or-No-Deal.

"I once won eighty-one tickets in one try on this." she told them.

"Was that with Zach?"

"Yeah."

"Too bad, what happened to you guys. You were cute together." Toria commented. Melody shrugged. "It couldn't be helped. Things happen. We still talk."

"That's always good." Wynter finished the conversation.

Melody won a jackpot for the first time, thanks to Legolas' good eyes catching the right case for her personal case. She threw both arms around his neck and hugged him quickly before running off to find the rest of her friends. Then they all wanted to play with Legolas picking their cases.

Other than a Ski-Ball vs. hobbit incident where the hobbit in question got hit in the face somehow, no one was quite sure how, they stayed until closing without problems.

After, Alec drove back to Melody's with them, and joined them for ice cream before announcing that he had to head home before curfew. "Before I leave, I have to say, that is one awesome convention if you all can stay in character this long." he stated bluntly, staring intently at Melody. "I'm almost convinced you're housing the real, original Fellowship in your house."

Everyone froze. "Well, um...I kind of am." Melody admitted quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have believed it?" Wynter asked, looking at him guiltily.

"You've definitely proved it."

"Would you have stayed long enough if you'd known?" Bri pointed out, trying to take the pressure off the other two girls.

Alec blinked. "Maybe." he sighed. "All right. You're forgiven. Just don't pull anything like it again." he pulled Wynter aside for a private good-night before leaving.

"He doesn't believe it." Wynter sighed as she returned.

"As long as he's not mad at you." Melody told her. "I still have trouble believing it sometimes."

Boromir turned on the TV. "The last of the strange creatures have been annihilated, and rumors started early this morning in Tokyo about whether or not they shared a connection with the ball of fire, which has since disappeared."

"So Sauron's armies are gone." Aragorn commented.

"No news of Gandalf." Frodo said sadly. Sam put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"That's good news." Ruby announced brightly. "We'll head home, then. See ya!" She dragged Toria away after giving each hobbit a good-night kiss.

"Strange that the eye's gone though." Bri said thoughtfully. "He didn't seem like the type to just give up like that."

"He's probably gathering strength. So should we." Aragorn informed them. "We go back into training in the morning." With that, he pulled Bri aside before she and Wynter left, and everyone else started getting ready for bed. Legolas was out in the tree when he saw headlights reflected off the side of the shed. He knew by now what that meant. Since all the girls were gone...

"Hurry!" he yelled, racing back inside. "Mel, you're dad's here!"

Chaos ensued as everyone scrambled to hide evidence of their existence before rushing for their rooms. Legolas was last to flee, carrying Melody up the tree with him as the front door opened.

"How many times have I told her not to leave the lights on all night?" the man muttered crossly. He got himself a sandwich and went upstairs to read, assuming the house was empty besides his sleeping daughter and himself.

When in actuality, Boromir lay under the blankets reading, Aragorn lay in bed thinking about Arwen and Bri, the hobbits and Gimli were snacking with a movie, and Legolas and Melody sat on her windowsill.

"That was close." Melody whispered, leaning against his side. Legolas just nodded. "Thanks for the warning."

"It was nothing." he murmured quietly, keeping his voice low. "I'm glad we kept you out of trouble." Melody sighed softly, looking up at the sky and yawning, despite her attempts to hide it. "You should sleep." Legolas continued.

"Is that all you're ever going to say to me? Would you rather I sleep without waking up?" she teased, and he stiffened. "Well, not dead, obviously...yeah, that came out wrong. I didn't mean that." she muttered.

"You're tired." he replied, holding her tightly. "It's all right." she sighed again, her eyes drifting closed. The elf waited patiently until he was sure she was asleep before picking her up off his lap and carrying her over to the bed, laying her down on it and pulling the blankets over her. He leaned over to fix the windows so she wouldn't get cold, and she shifted, curling up into a little ball on the bed and tangling her hand in some of his hair that had landed on the pillow by her head. She twined her fingers through it and held on tightly enough to tug on his hair as he tried to straighten up. Smiling at the peaceful look on her face, mouth tilted slightly upwards, muscles relaxed in sleep, he gently worked himself free before kissing her forehead and whispering "Good night." and leaving.


	22. Chapter 22: Life Plans

**A/N: Dedicated to my beta She Elf of Hidden Lore, and to my reviewers tbroski46, DragonBlade1000-just clarifying, when there's a real kiss, I will make sure that is clear. At the moment, it's just cute little cheek or forehead kisses sorry!, and dandapanda-yes I know assuming is fun, that's what makes the twists fun! :D ;) So...on with the story! By the way, school has started and I'm very busy, so weekends are best for updates at this point.. I do apologize for the delayed and rare upcoming updates in advance. D: I'm not happy about it either.  
**

Welcome to Earth!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Life Plans:

A soft voice singing pulled Melody up towards consciousness, but she wasn't ready to open her eyes just yet. She was vaguely aware of a presence nearby, but it wasn't threatening, so she didn't pay it any mind.

Legolas could hear her breathing change as she woke up, but she stubbornly refused to open her eyes. Smiling, he moved closer, fighting down an urge to laugh. If only his father could see him now. He'd never complain about the lack of a daughter-in-law again.

Gentle pressure on her forehead convinced Melody to finally open her eyes. The voice had stopped singing anyway. Blinking blearily, she could make out blonde hair surrounding her, and figured that of course they had sent Legolas to wake her up.

"Awake yet?" he whispered, pulling away.

"No." she replied, determined as always. He laughed, a light musical sound, and she relaxed into the mattress, really not wanting to move.

"Come on, sleeping beauty." he teased, and she looked up at him.

"Since when have you known that fairy tale?"

"What?" he asked, confused. "I just called you that because you are."

"Oh. Ignorant reference. I see." she teased back, smirking. He narrowed his eyes, pushing her firmly down onto the bed.

"Don't ever call an elf ignorant."

"Then don't act like it." she teased, not really sure if he was joking, but not understanding why he would take offense to that. She relaxed once he kissed her forehead again and pulled her up.

"Just for that, you're getting up."

"Nope." she replied, struggling back towards the lovely fluffy pillow that was calling her name so sweetly. He pulled her off the bed, catching her easily as she fell over the edge.

"Can I trust you to get dressed if I leave?" he asked more seriously. Melody looked longingly back at her bed and he sighed. "We can't go until you're dressed."

"Why are we going anywhere?" she whined playfully. "I thought we were taking the day off training to rest."

"Yes, we're not training, so that counts as resting. That does not mean we're staying here." the elf told her, smirking as she pouted. "You'll love it, I promise." She narrowed her eyes at him, annoyed.

"And if I don't?"

"I'll make it up to you." he promised, wrapping her in his arms. Over the past week, he'd learned that for him, convincing her of anything was actually very easy. She gave everyone else a hard time-he wasn't saying she didn't give him a hard time, too, but he had less difficulty than anyone else. Part of the reason he was the one sent to wake her up.

"Come on, breakfast's ready and everyone's waiting." he murmured right next to her ear. She rested her head against his chest, seemingly content to go back to sleep in his lap, if not her bed. Sighing, he gave up and laughed, standing and pulling her with him. "Wake up!" he cried, shaking her gently. "Hurry!" He gave her one last kiss before jumping out the window.

"Show-off!" she called after him, grabbing some clothes and heading for the shower.

An hour later, they were on the road. "So, where are we going?" Melody asked sleepily.

"We're stopping at McDonald's to get you some coffee so you wake up for real. Then out for a surprise." Wynter replied cryptically. Alec smirked in the mirror at Mel, who stuck her tongue out at him.

After a quick stop at McDonald's, where Melody got a chocolate chip frappe, they continued on. In Wynter's car, they had Wynter driving, Alec in the passenger seat, Legolas, Melody, Bri, Aragorn, and a pouty Boromir in back. The hobbits had gone with Ruby and Toria.

Melody stared out the window, sipping absently at the drink in her hand.

"It's very quiet in here." Wynter commented. "I thought that would wake you up a bit, Mel."

"It did." Melody replied, still staring out the window.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" Legolas asked curiously.

"My future." That shocked the elf. He hadn't thought of her as one who worried about the future.

"You worry too much Mel. With your grades, you'll get into any college you apply for."

"Not Ivy League."

"Since when did you want to go Ivy League? Although I bet you could."

"I don't. And I know I couldn't."

"What's college?" Legolas asked.

"The next step after high school. It's optional and expensive, but more and more careers are requiring a degree, so people have to go." Wynter explained. Legolas nodded.

"So you've decided what you're going to be?" Alec asked.

"I'm back to linguist." Melody replied.

"Women have careers?" Boromir asked incredulously.

"Why do you think we're in school?" Wynter retorted, laughing. "We wouldn't be if it wasn't required!" Melody joined her friend's laughter.

"This seems to be a recurring theme for you, Mel. Maybe you should really make up your mind this time." Alec teased.

Melody shrugged. "I'm looking into it."

"Again." he replied, laughing.

Melody looked back out the window. "My grandparents live over there." she murmured absently. Then her eyes widened. "WYNTER!"

"What?" the other girl asked innocently.

"We're on the way to Six Flags!"

"That was quick." Boromir muttered grumpily. Everyone except Wynter glared at him. Wynter told him to shut up or else.

"Yes, Mel, we are. Happy birthday!" Wynter sang, smiling at her friend in the mirror.

"But-they-safe-?" Melody could barely speak. It was clear she loved this Six Flags place, but was concerned about the Fellowship.

"Don't worry about it. Just relax and enjoy your day." Wynter told her.

Alec started singing 'Happy Birthday' and spent the next twenty minutes teaching it to the Fellowship via cell phone so they could sing it at the park. Melody buried her face in Legolas' shoulder, unsure whether to laugh or cry from sheer embarrassment.

By the time they reached the parking lot, everyone was in high spirits, including the normally gloomy Boromir, who had discovered a new favorite pastime in teasing Melody. He joined Alec in the tickle sessions quite eagerly. Eventually Legolas had to step in and rescue the birthday girl before she hyperventilated.

They got in line and the Fellowship sang in front of the fountain, making Melody turn bright red the whole way to the first ride. The Fellowship looked nervously upon the metal track and coaster.

"This is fun?" Pippin asked nervously.

"Yep!" Melody sang happily. Legolas eyed her nervously, then sighed and followed her into the line.

"Go on." Wynter prompted the others. "Be there for her." The nervous group hesitantly assembled behind Legolas, looking up at the ride with much trepidation.

Melody hopped up on the side rail and swung her legs back and forth excitedly.

"This line is realllyyyy long..." Pippin whined.

"This isn't bad. I had to wait three hours for Superman my first time. A lot of the rides are half an hour to an hour, the big ones anyway. We're starting you guys out small." Melody told him.

"Small?" Merry asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"It's not that bad, don't worry." Bri assured him quickly.

The line moved swiftly, and their turn came all too soon for most of their group. Alec and Wynter got up front, the hobbits grouped themselves in pairs, Ruby shyly ended up in Boromir's lap, with Toria preferring to have her own space, Bri and Aragorn went together, and Legolas, seeing Alec and Wynter, got in first and pulled Melody into his lap. She arranged the seat belt and handlebars, tapping her feet excitedly as she waited for the ride to start. Legolas preferred to hold on to her, both arms tightly around her waist and holding her close, to holding on the handlebars, and she didn't seem to mind.

With a rush of air, they started moving, and the next minute or so was full of wind rushing past and loops and swirls, one second looking straight up at the sky, the next at the ground, and Melody trying to grab leaves off the trees, failing every time, until the ride jerked to a stop, slamming the elf's face into Melody's back.

"You okay?" she asked, worried. He nodded.

"You?" Melody flashed him a radiant smile, and he laughed.

"Where to next?" Wynter called.

"The bigger, the better!" Melody yelled back, and onlookers laughed to see the looks on the Fellowship's faces. Only Legolas and Aragorn seemed to look forward to the day, because Bri and Melody were so happy.


End file.
